Mental Status Test Scores are Inversely Correlated with Tremor Severity: A Study of 161 Elderly Essential Tremor Cases

Elan D. Louis; Amanda S. Viner; Arthur Gillman

doi:10.5334/tohm.86

Figures & Tables

Table 1.

Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of 161 ET Cases

	ET (n = 161)
Age (years)	83.9±5.7, 72–102
Women	98 (60.9%)
Education1
No degree	5 (3.1%)
High School diploma	50 (31.4%)
Associates degree	14 (8.8%)
Bachelor’s degree	43 (27.0%)
Master’s degree	31 (19.5%)
Doctorate degree	16 (10.1%)
FMMSE score	27.0±2.7 [28.0], 11–30
mMMSE score	49.3±5.8 [50.0], 18–57
Beck Depression Inventory score	9.4±6.9
Cumulative Illness Rating Scale score	10.3±5.3
Age of tremor onset (years)	42.1±22.7
Tremor duration (years)	41.6±21.9
Total tremor score	24.7±7.5 [24.0], 4.5–46

Values either represent mean±standard deviation [median], minimum –maximum, or they represent numbers (percentages).

Abbreviations: ET, essential tremor; FMMSE, Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination; mMMSE, Modified Mini Mental Status Examination.

1 Data missing on two participants.

Table 2.

Correlations Between Demographic/Clinical Characteristics and Mini Mental State Examination Scores and Tremor Scores in 161 ET Cases

	Correlation (r) Between Characteristic and FMMSE ScoreorFMMSE Score within Stratum of Each Characteristic	Correlation (r) Between Characteristic and mMMSE ScoreormMMSE Score within Stratum of Each Characteristic	Correlation (r) Between Characteristic and TTSorTTS within Stratum of Each Characteristic
Age (years)	r_s = −0.38, p<0.001	r_s = −0.30, p<0.001	r_p = 0.04, p = 0.61
Gender
Women	27.4±2.7 [28.0]	49.3±5.8 [50.5]	24.3±7.5
Men	26.4±2.6 [27.0]	49.7±4.9 [50.0]	25.4±7.5
	MW = 2.98, p = 0.003	MW = 0.05, p = 0.96	T = 0.96, p = 0.34
Education
No degree	26.6±1.5 [26.0]	48.8±4.2 [49.0]	27.8±9.8
High School	26.5±3.1 [28.0]	47.5±7.1 [49.0]	25.1±6.8
Associates degree	27.5±2.1 [27.0]	49.0±5.1 [49.0]	26.3±6.9
Bachelor’s degree	27.3±2.6 [28.0]	50.5±5.3 [52.0]	24.7±7.9
Master’s degree	27.0±2.8 [28.0]	49.9±5.3 [51.0]	23.6±9.2
Doctorate degree	27.4±1.9 [27.5]	51.0±3.8 [51.5]	23.4±4.9
	KW = 3.66, p = 0.60	KW = 7.86, p = 0.16	ANOVA = 0.55, p = 0.74
FMMSE score	Not applicable	r_s = 0.78, p<0.001	r_s = −0.22, p = 0.005
mMMSE score	r_s = 0.78, p<0.001	Not applicable	r_s = −0.17, p = 0.029
Beck Depression Inventory score	r_s = −0.09, p = 0.30	r_s = −0.13, p = 0.11	r_p = 0.13, p = 0.11
Cumulative Illness Rating Scale score	r_s = −0.04, p = 0.66	r_s = −0.04, p = 0.61	r_p = −0.004, p = 0.97
Age of tremor onset1	r_s = −0.10, p = 0.20	r_s = −0.13, p = 0.12	r_p = −0.20, p = 0.01
Tremor duration1	r_s = 0.03, p = 0.75	r_s = 0.08, p = 0.30	r_p = 0.21, p = 0.008

Abbreviations: ANOVA, analysis of variance; ET, essential tremor; FMMSE, Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination; KW, Kruskal-Wallis test; mMMSE, Modified Mini Mental Status Examination; MW, Mann–Whitney test; T = t test; TTS, total tremor score.

Values are either correlation coefficients (r) and p values, or mean±standard deviation [median]. Correlation coefficients are either Spearman’s rho (r_s) or Pearson’s rho (r_p).

1 In years.