MMSE Recall of Words 5

Question 1

A patient denies remembering any words but, when given category cues, recalls all three correctly. What does this pattern suggest?

Accepted Answer

Retrieval difficulty with intact storage, suggesting subcortical or frontal pathology rather than hippocampal amnesia

Answer

Intact cued recall with failed free recall indicates the memory trace was stored but retrieval is impaired, a pattern common in subcortical dementias and frontal lobe dysfunction.

Question 2

How does the MMSE word recall task differ from a recognition memory test?

Accepted Answer

Recall requires generating the word without external prompts, while recognition requires identifying a word among choices

Answer

Free recall demands active retrieval with no external cues, whereas recognition provides the target word among foils and requires only identification.

Question 3

Which MMSE cutoff score is most commonly used in the US to indicate possible dementia?

Accepted Answer

23 or below out of 30

Answer

A total MMSE score of 23 or below (out of 30) is widely used as a threshold suggesting possible cognitive impairment requiring further evaluation.

Question 4

A 90-year-old patient recalls 1 of 3 words. Before concluding cognitive impairment, the clinician should consider:

Accepted Answer

Age-adjusted norms, because recall performance normally declines with advanced age

Answer

Normative recall performance decreases with age, so scores must be interpreted against age-matched reference data rather than universal cutoffs.

Question 5

Which medication class most commonly causes transient word recall impairment that can mimic dementia on MMSE testing?

Accepted Answer

Benzodiazepines

Answer

Benzodiazepines cause sedation and anterograde amnestic effects that can significantly impair encoding and recall, producing falsely low MMSE scores.

MMSE - Mini-Mental State Examination Practice Test

MMSE - Mini-Mental State Examination Practice Test

MMSE Recall of Words 5