'Yes' ifs, ands or buts: Examining performance and correlates of the repetition task in the mini-mental state examination

The aim of this study was to examine whether the type of sentence used in t he repetition task included in the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) aff ected performance in a group of 79 demented and 19 non-demented Hebrew-spea king elderly persons. The cognitive functioning of the participants was ass essed using the MMSE and CAMCOG examinations. The performance of the repeti tion task was evaluated by using three sentences: the literal translation o f the English language expression used in the original MMSE; a well-known H ebrew proverb consisting of monosyllabic words and rhythmic effects; and an other well-known Hebrew proverb without such attributes. Only a third of th e participants successfully repeated the literally translated expression. I t showed low predictive value and was highly affected by education. The wel l-known Hebrew monosyllabic proverb showed moderate predictive value but no discriminatory ability. The other well-known Hebrew proverb performed the best. The translation of the repetition task in the MMSE to other languages is problematic. Strict adherence to the original language proved to be the least desirable choice. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.