Assessment of cognitive impairment: relationship of the Dementia Rating Scale to the Mini-Mental State Examination.

The relationship between the Dementia Rating Scale (DRS) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was examined in 50 patients referred for neuropsychological assessment. The correlation between these two tests was moderately high (rho = .72; Pearson r = .78), supporting previous findings. Linear regression analysis yielded equations that allow prediction of scores from one test to the other. Neither age nor education correlated significantly with these two tests. Examination of the five DRS subscales and the eleven MMSE items revealed some unexpected relationships. These results suggest that these two cognitive screening instruments evaluate some overlapping mental abilities; however, the validity of the individual items and subscales is not well supported.