Mini mental state examination in geriatric stroke patients. Validity, differences between subgroups of patients, and relationships to somatic and mental variables.

To study the validity of the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) in geriatric stroke patients, 116 patients were tested 2-8 weeks and 6 months post-stroke. A neuropsychological test battery consisting of five tests measuring memory, calculation and spatial ability was used for validation. Motor activity, depression, aphasia and activities of daily living were assessed. Confusion in the acute stage, Barthel Index, depression scores, level of motor activity, and most of the neuropsychological tests correlated to the MMSE. Logistic regression showed 4 independent variables which could predict the MMSE scores. A factor analysis showed 3 factors which could explain 53% of the variance. The sensitivity for detecting dementia was 56%, and increased to 68% if patients with isolated spatial dysfunction were excluded. The MMSE had acceptable validity in detecting cognitive dysfunction early poststroke in this old patient population.