Predicting Intellectual Level from the Mini-Mental State Examination

Abstract

The Mini-Mental State Examination and the WAIS-R were administered to 105 patients in the early stages of Alzheimer''s disease. MMSE scores correlated 0.83 with full scale IQ, which indicates that the MMSE may be a reasonable alternative measure of overall intellectual functioning in Alzheimer patients, for whom more extensive testing is impractical or clinically inappropriate. The prediction formula is presented, along with a prediction table. Folstein and McHugh report that, as the WAIS Performance IQ falls below 100 in demented patients, that there is a concomitant decline in the MMSE below 24 points. Data from our laboratory further support what some clinicians have long suggested, i.e., that in those cases where only the mental status examination can be given, this short test can provide a reasonably valid and reliable prediction of the patient''s IQ score.