Adaptation of Mini Mental State Examination within a Population of Healthy Subjects in Mali: The Mamse

Introduction: The mini mental state is a short and comprehensive evaluation test of all cognitive functions. This is a test of 12 items with a maximum score of 30/30. However, studies have shown that it is an age-sensitive test and even more so at the level of education. In developing countries where literacy rates are the lowest in the world, the use of this tool is severely limited, hence the need to adapt this test in accordance with the socio-cultural and educational realities of each country.

Objective: This study aims to adapt the MMSE in the Malian cultural and educational context (MAMSE) to screen potentially demented subjects. Methodology: A sample of 317 subjects aged 50 and over, apparently healthy, was recruited for 9 months of investigation. These subjects were divided into a subsample of 158 literate and 159 illiterate subjects. Both groups received both tests, first the standard test and, two weeks later, the modified test. The data obtained from these different assessments were analyzed.

Results: a direct comparison of the two tests in the literate group allows to appreciate the nature of the association with the age [P- value = 0.04 (MAMSE) /0.0006 (MMSE)] and the level of education [P-value = 0.22 (MAMSE) /0.02 (MMSE)] which is less for the modified test than for the standard test. In addition, the evaluation of the illiterates found a general average of 26.79 with a general average of 27.45 for the totality of our sample.

Conclusion: These results suggest that in the socio-cultural context of Mali, MAMSE is a reliable test for detecting dementia in the elderly population.

Keywords: MMS; MAMS; Age; Education; Dementia; Adaptation