Validation of a modified version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) in Spanish

In order to validate the adapted version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) in Spanish, 203 participants aged at least 60 years were interviewed and clinically evaluated. Factor analysis and ROC curves were used to evaluate the instrument. From the clinical evaluation, it was found that 34.5% of the participants were cognitively impaired. Spatial orientation, Orientation in time plus registration, Language plus attention and calculation, and Naming objects were the four components that explained 60.6% of the variance from the factor analysis. The ROC curve showed 23/24 as the optimal cut-off point, with a sensitivity of 0.97 and specificity of 0.88. Differences by number of years in education were also found, but adjusting the scoring for those individuals with a low level of education improved the performance of the instrument.