Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE)

The MMSE is a screening test for mental capacity.

 

It can be a bit awkard to ask such basic questions. One way of introducing it is to talk generally about world events, then say:

"we often ask questions about people's interest in what's going on around you, and I'd like to ask you about them. Some of them are a bit basic, I know, but they get more interesting as we go along..."

 

Orientation (one point each)

• what is the year?
• season?
• date?
• month?
• day?
• country?
• province?
• city?
• street/building?
• street#/hospital floor?

 

Recall (one point each)

• name three objects, then get them repeated back right away (three points)
• what were those three objects (three points, a few minutes later)

Attention/Concentration

• spell 'WORLD' backwards, or do serial 7's back from 100

Registration

• could you tell me what this is?
• could you tell me what this is?

Commands

• listen and repeat after me, "no ifs, ands, or buts"
• listen carefully and do as I say (give all three commands at once):
  • take the sheet with your (nondominant) hand
  • fold it in half
  • put it on the floor
• read this and do what it says: "CLOSE YOUR EYES"
• write a complete sentence on this piece of paper

Visuo-Spatial

• copy this shape

Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA)

Montreal Cognitive Assessment

Frontal Assessment Battery

 

 

Similarities (in what way are these alike?)

 

Fluency: How many F words in 60 seconds

 

Motor series:

 

Conflicting instructions

inhibitory control

environmental autonomy (touch hands and say 'do not hold my hands'

Dubois et al. 200. Neurology. 55:1621-6.