Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 17, 2026
Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach
Published on: February 14, 2014
The performance of the Mini-Cog in a sample of low educational level elderly
Sergio Telles Ribeiro Filho1, Roberto Alves Lourenço2
1MD, Laboratório de Pesquisa em Envelhecimento Humano, GeronLab, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Objectives:
To study the criterion validity of the Mini-Cog in low educational level elderly.Design: Cross-sectional and validation design.Setting: Policlínica Piquet Carneiro, an outpatient unit of Rio de Janeiro State University Hospital, in Brazil.Participants: A convenient sample consisting of 306 individuals, 65 yrs or older, selected from April 8th to July 15th, 2002.
Methods:
All participants underwent comprehensive geriatric evaluations which included the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the cognitive part of the Cambridge Examination for Mental Disorders of the Elderly - Revised (CAMCOG-R). They were classified as demented or non-demented (DSM-IV). A post-hoc analysis was performed on the data from the 3 word recall test of the MMSE, and the Clock Drawing Test from the CAMCOG-R, and respective scores were added and interpreted in accordance with the Mini-Cog protocol.
Results:
293 individuals completed all the study steps; 211 had 4 or less years of schooling and were included in the data analysis. 32% had dementia. Mini-Cog sensitivity and specificity was consistently low independently of the different cut-off points considered. The best performance was found at the cut-off point of 2/3 which yielded sensitivity and specificity of 60% and 65%, respectively.
Conclusion:
The Mini-Cog is not a good cognitive screening tool for individuals with less than five years of formal education.
