Correlación entre el examen mínimo del estado mental y la escala de memoria de Wechsler en una muestra de pacientes con da o cerebral

Introduction. The cognitive impairments are frequently in patients with acquired brain injury (ABI). The neuropsychological assessment must provide a good diagnosis of the severity and functional repercussion of the cognitive impairments. This study examines the correlation between a traditional screening test, Mini–Mental State Examination (MMSE) and a specific test for the memory evaluation, the Wechsler Memory Scale-I (WMS-I), in a sample of 124 patients with sequel of ABI. The global correlation (using coefficient of Pearson) between MMSE and WMS-I was statistical significant (p≤0.05). Conclusions. The screening test constitutes an easy and brief way to obtain an adequate neuropsychological diagnosis. This correlation verifies the sensibility and the predictor value of the MMSE like one of the most employees test in the clinical practice to guide the exploration by damaged functions after the brain injury. Nevertheless, we consider that neuropsychological assessment in acquired brain injury patients should not be substituted by a scrutiny instrument.