Abstract: Although it is known that there is a change in cognitive function with aging, different views exist on the extent, type of cognitive function involved, age of onset and the factors affecting it. We undertook this preliminary study with an aim of determining the effect of aging on cognitive function in a normal non-demented South Indian population. A simple bedside screening test, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was administered to 50 controls aged 20-50 years (Group I), 50 normal non-demented subjects aged 60-75 years (Group II) and 50 subjects aged above 75 years (Group III) of both sexes.