MoCA test better meets the criteria for screening tests for the detection of MCI among patients over 60 years of age than MMSE.

ObjectiveModern technologies are increasingly used in the development of cognitive interventions for older adults. Research into possible applications of virtual reality in such interventions has begun only recently. The aim of present study was to evaluate the effects of 8 sessions of VR-based cognitive training using the GRADYS game in healthy older adults (n = 72; aged 60–88) and older adults living with mild dementia (n = 27; aged 60–89).ResultsOlder adults with mild dementia demonstrated worse baseline cognitive performance than participants without dementia. Both groups showed progress in training, which was greater in healthy older adults. There were also significant differences in cognitive functioning before and after the training. However, positive changes were revealed almost exclusively in the group of older adults without dementia. Based on the findings, we can recommend the GRADYS game for cognitive enhancement and as a possible counter-measure for cognitive decline experienced in normal cognitive ageing. Our results provide also support for the usefulness of VR technology in cognitive interventions in older adults. The use of the GRADYS game in persons living with dementia, however, would require several of the hardware and software modifications.Trial registration ISRCTN17613444, date of registration: 10.09.2019. Retrospectively registered

Introduction. Screening tests are a key step in the diagnosis of dementia and should therefore be highly sensitive to the detection of mild neurocognitive disorders (NCD). The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) is the most commonly used screening method. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a newer and less well-known screening tool, which has none of the limitations of the MMSE. Aim. The aim of this study was to analyse the reliability of the Polish versions of MoCA 7.2 vs MMSE in the detection of mild NCD among people aged over 60. Material and methods. The study was carried out at the Department and Clinic of Geriatrics from September 2014 to March 2017. The study included 281 participants, 91 of whom were assigned to the group without NCD. The other 190 had been diagnosed with mild NCD.Results. In the analysis of the ROC curve of the MoCA 7.2 results, the AUC was 0.925 (p < 0.001). The optimal cut-off point for mild NCD was 23/24 points, with sensitivity and specificity of 83.2% and 79.1%. In the ROC curve of MMSE results, the AUC was 0.847 (p < 0.001). The optimal cut-off point for mild NCD was 27/28 points, with sensitivity and specificity of 75.8% and 66.7%. The difference between AUC MoCA 7.2 and MMSE was 0.078 (p = 0.036).Conclusions. MoCA 7.2 detects mild NCD with more sensitivity than MMSE. We recommend using the cut-off point for MoCA of 23/24 points, because this is characterised by a higher sensitivity than the previously recommended cut-off point of 25/26 points. For the MMSE, the recommended cut-off point should be 27/28, which gives greater diagnostic accuracy than the previously recommended 25/26 points.