The Modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status is More Predictive of Memory Abilities Than the Mini-Mental State Examination

J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol. 2015 Sep;28(3):193-7. doi: 10.1177/0891988715573532. Epub 2015 Feb 26.

Abstract

Although not as popular as the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (mTICS) has some distinct advantages when screening cognitive functioning in older adults. The current study compared these 2 cognitive screening measures in their ability to predict performance on a memory composite (ie, delayed recall of verbal and visual information) in a cohort of 121 community-dwelling older adults, both at baseline and after 1 year. Both the MMSE and the mTICS significantly correlated with the memory composite at baseline (r's of .41 and .62, respectively) and at 1 year (r's of .36 and .50, respectively). At baseline, stepwise linear regression indicated that the mTICS and gender best predicted the memory composite score (R (2) = .45, P < .001), and the MMSE and other demographic variables did not significantly improve the prediction. At 1 year, the results were very similar. Despite its lesser popularity, the mTICS may be a more attractive option when screening for cognitive abilities in this age range.

Keywords: cognitive screening; geriatrics; memory.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Cognition Disorders / diagnosis*
  • Cognition*
  • Female
  • Geriatric Assessment / methods*
  • Humans
  • Interviews as Topic / methods*
  • Male
  • Memory
  • Mental Recall / physiology
  • Mental Status Schedule*
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Regression Analysis
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Residence Characteristics
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Telephone*