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The meaning of cognitive impairment in the elderly
Folstein M, Anthony JC, Parhad I, Duffy B, Gruenberg EM.. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 1985-04-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
In order to determine the meaning of cognitive impairment in community dwelling elderly, 3,481 adults were interviewed in their homes using the Mini-Mental State Examination. Ninety-six per cent of the population aged 18-64 scored 23 or higher, whereas 80 per cent of the population 65 and over scored 23 or higher. Individuals with low scores were suffering from a variety of psychiatric disorders including dementia. Thirty-three per cent of the elderly population scoring in the range of 0-23 had no diagnosable DSM-III condition. Prevalence of dementia from all causes was 6.1 per cent of the population over age 65. Two per cent of the population over age 65 were diagnosed as having Alzheimer's disease.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Folstein, M., Anthony, J. C., Parhad, I., Duffy, B., & Gruenberg, E. M. (1985). The meaning of cognitive impairment in the elderly. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.1985.tb07109.x
Vancouver
Folstein M, Anthony JC, Parhad I, Duffy B, Gruenberg EM. The meaning of cognitive impairment in the elderly. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 1985. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.1985.tb07109.x. PMID: 3989183.
BibTeX
@article{folstein1985-3989183,
author = {Folstein, M. and Anthony, J. C. and Parhad, I. and Duffy, B. and Gruenberg, E. M.},
title = {{The meaning of cognitive impairment in the elderly}},
journal = {Journal of the American Geriatrics Society},
year = {1985},
doi = {10.1111/j.1532-5415.1985.tb07109.x},
pmid = {3989183},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.1985.tb07109.x}
}
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Key findings
- Ninety-six per cent of the population aged 18-64 scored 23 or higher, whereas 80 per cent of the population 65 and over scored 23 or higher.
- Individuals with low scores were suffering from a variety of psychiatric disorders including dementia.
- Thirty-three per cent of the elderly population scoring in the range of 0-23 had no diagnosable DSM-III condition.
- Prevalence of dementia from all causes was 6.1 per cent of the population over age 65.
- Two per cent of the population over age 65 were diagnosed as having Alzheimer's disease.
Why it matters
In this community survey, 33% of elderly people scoring in the range of 0–23 on the Mini-Mental State Examination had no diagnosable DSM-III condition, showing that low scores do not always mean dementia. Prevalence of dementia from all causes was 6.1% of the population over age 65, and 2% were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Participants3,481
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 53/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Journal of the American Geriatrics Society: journal h-index 344 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 1985 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 3,481 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 579 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 13.5 citations a year over 43 year(s) since 1985 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 12.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 26 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 21 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Ernest M. Gruenberg: h-index 22 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Johns Hopkins University: institution h-index 2,306 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 3989183) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 53 / 100 | — |
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