We administered the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) to 194 healthy men and women, ages 40 to 89 years. Total score was significantly associated with age (p less than 0.0001), but not vocabulary, education, Beck's Depression Inventory Score, or sex. The lowest quartile cutoff scores for the MMSE by decade were 40s - 29; 50s - 28; 60s - 28; 70s - 28; and 80s - 26. When screening for progressive decline in cognitive performance, the use of age-specific norms may provide greater sensitivity than the present recommended cutoff score of less than 24.

A group of 212 healthy 40-to 85-year-olds were administered the Purdue Pegboard test of manual dexterity. The four subtests included dominant hand, nondominant hand, and bimanual performance as well as a more complex bimanual task, assembly. Differences between scores of each hand were calculated to evaluate lateralization. Performance on all subtests slowed significantly with increasing age. Women were significantly faster than men on all tasks, but the rate of age-related decline in performance did not differ between sexes. Lateralization, which was significantly greater in women (p <. 01), tended to increase with age, but this trend was not statistically significant. This study provides age-and sex-specific normative values for Purdue Pegboard performance in individuals over age 40 and specifically emphasizes the need to consider sex when evaluating manual dexterity. © 1988, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.