The influence of schooling on cognitive screening test in the elderly

INTRODUCTION: Tests for screening cognitive functions are gaining importance with the increasing incidence and prevalence of demential syndromes. For our elderly population, the challenge is to develop neuropsychological tests independent from the influence of educational level. OBJECTIVE: To compare the influence of education on the elderly with or without cognitive decline, on the Brief Cognitive Screening Battery (BCSB). METHODS: We studied 176 elderly people: 60 with cognitive decline (aged 73.6±9.3 years and with 5.7±0.7 years of education) and 116 without cognitive impairments (aged 73.4±0.6 years and with 5.6±0.5 years of education). The BCSB was applied in all subjects. The data were submitted to descriptive statistics and analyzed by Independent Student test with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: The data showed that the BCSB is an appropriate battery for identifying cognitive status in normal elderly individuals, as well as cognitive decline in our elderly sample. The BCSB items were not significantly influenced by schooling years, making this test favorable for different groups characterized by illiterate individuals, as well as by those with low or high levels of formal education. CONCLUSION: The BCSB proved to be a useful cognitive screening test for old people with or without cognitive decline independent of their educational level.