A study that recently appeared in Archives of Neurology indicated that highly educated older adults may score higher on the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), the most commonly used screening measure to evaluate Alzheimer's disease and other kinds of cognitive impairment.The implication is that dementia may go undetected in the highly educated (defined as having acquired a college degree or higher level of education) if the usual cutoff scores are used. Highly educated older adults may score in the "normal" range even when dementia is present.
This is an important finding, considering how often the MMSE is used, but here's a word of caution: The MMSE is not the only tool necessary for a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. It's just one of many procedures that should be performed in order to rule out all possible causes for Alzheimer's-like symptoms. Still, if you or your loved one is being evaluated for Alzheimer's disease, be sure to tell the person administering the MMSE if a higher level of education is a factor.
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