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.