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Clinical application of the Polish adaptation of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test in screening for cognitive impairment
Affiliations- Department of Old Age Psychiatry and psychotic Disorders, Medical University of Lodz, Czechosłowacka 8/10, 92-216 Łódź, Poland
- Department of Paediatrics, Diabetology and Endocrinology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland
- Department of Medical Psychology, Medical University of Lodz, Poland
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Abstract
The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test is a brief cognitive screening tool with high sensitivity and specificity for detecting mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of MoCA and compare it with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) in the early detection of cognitive decline in MCI.
Material and methodsA group of 115 subjects (36 meeting DSM-IV criteria for Alzheimer disease (AD) [Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) = 1], 42 meeting Petersen's criteria for MCI [CDR = 0.5], and 37 cognitively intact controls [CDR = 0]) was recruited for the study in the university-based Alzheimer out-patient clinic. All participants underwent general medical, neurological, and psychiatric examinations. The MoCA, the MMSE, CDR and the short (15-item) version of the Geriatric Depression Scale were also applied.
ResultsBoth MCI and AD groups exhibited impaired performance on MoCA compared to controls. Polish versions of the MMSE and MoCA tests were comparable in discriminating mild dementia from both MCI and control groups. The Polish version of the MoCA test performed marginally better than MMSE in discriminating MCI from controls. We propose to use the MoCA test to screen for MCI using an optimal cut-off score of 24 and to screen for dementia using a cut-off score of 19.
ConclusionsThe Polish version of the MoCA seems effective in the detection of deteriorated cognitive performance and appropriate for differentiating impaired from preserved cognitive function in a Polish population.
Abstract
The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test is a brief cognitive screening tool with high sensitivity and specificity for detecting mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of MoCA and compare it with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) in the early detection of cognitive decline in MCI.
Material and methodsA group of 115 subjects (36 meeting DSM-IV criteria for Alzheimer disease (AD) [Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) = 1], 42 meeting Petersen's criteria for MCI [CDR = 0.5], and 37 cognitively intact controls [CDR = 0]) was recruited for the study in the university-based Alzheimer out-patient clinic. All participants underwent general medical, neurological, and psychiatric examinations. The MoCA, the MMSE, CDR and the short (15-item) version of the Geriatric Depression Scale were also applied.
ResultsBoth MCI and AD groups exhibited impaired performance on MoCA compared to controls. Polish versions of the MMSE and MoCA tests were comparable in discriminating mild dementia from both MCI and control groups. The Polish version of the MoCA test performed marginally better than MMSE in discriminating MCI from controls. We propose to use the MoCA test to screen for MCI using an optimal cut-off score of 24 and to screen for dementia using a cut-off score of 19.
ConclusionsThe Polish version of the MoCA seems effective in the detection of deteriorated cognitive performance and appropriate for differentiating impaired from preserved cognitive function in a Polish population.
Keywords
screening, mild cognitive impairment, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MoCA
About this articleTitle
Clinical application of the Polish adaptation of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test in screening for cognitive impairment
Journal
Neurologia i Neurochirurgia Polska
Issue
Pages
130-139
Page views
1440
Article views/downloads
1163
DOI
10.5114/ninp.2012.28255
Bibliographic record
Neurol Neurochir Pol 2012;46(2):130-139.
Keywords
screening
mild cognitive impairment
Montreal Cognitive Assessment
MoCA
Authors
Joanna Magierska
Radosław Magierski
Wojciech Fendler
Iwona Kłoszewska
Tomasz M. Sobów
