Not All Days Were Created Equal-Better Day Orientation Following the Weekend on Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Neuropsychology
• Cognitive Assessment

Background:

• Cognitive assessments like the Mini-Mental Score Examination (MMSE) are crucial for evaluating cognitive function.
• Temporal orientation, the ability to identify the correct day, is a key component of cognitive assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if day orientation performance on the MMSE differs across weekdays.
• Specifically, to determine if patients exhibit improved day orientation on Sundays (the first working day after the weekend in Israel) compared to other days.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of MMSE scores collected between November 2016 and December 2022.
• Comparison of the proportion of correct answers for the 'orientation to the day' question across different weekdays.

Main Results:

• A cohort of 2049 MMSEs from 1376 patients (average age 80.3 years, 56.4% female) was analyzed.
• Statistically significant differences in correct day orientation were observed between weekdays (χ² = 20.77, P < 0.001).
• Sundays showed a higher proportion of correct day orientation (53.4% difference) and a significantly higher odds ratio (OR=1.55, P=0.001) for correct responses compared to other days. Thursdays also showed a slightly elevated OR (1.29, P=0.01).

Conclusions:

• Day orientation on the MMSE may be enhanced on the first working day following the weekend.
• This effect appears particularly relevant for individuals experiencing early-stage cognitive decline.
• The day of MMSE administration can influence test results, highlighting the importance of considering contextual factors.