Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) Performance and Domain-Specific Index Scores in Amnestic Versus Aphasic Dementia

Abstract

Objective: The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a popular and simple-to-administer screening instrument to detect cognitive impairment. The MoCA generates a total score and six domain-specific index scores: (1) Memory, (2) Executive Functioning, (3) Attention, (4) Language, (5) Visuospatial, and (6) Orientation. It is unclear whether these MoCA scores can differentiate between distinct clinical dementia syndromes. This study compared MoCA Index scores between amnestic dementia of the Alzheimer’s type (DAT) and primary progressive aphasia (PPA), a language-based dementia. Method: Baseline MoCA data were analyzed from 33 DAT, 37 PPA, and 83 cognitively normal individuals enrolled in the Clinical Core of the Northwestern Alzheimer’s Disease Center. A one-way analysis of covariance adjusted for age was used to compare MoCA scores among groups. A logistic regression model was implemented to observe individual likelihood of group affiliation based on MoCA Index scores. Results: The mean MoCA total score was significantly higher in controls compared to both patient groups (p < .001) but did not differ between DAT and PPA groups. However, in accordance with salient clinical features commonly observed in DAT versus PPA, Memory and Orientation Index scores were lowest in the DAT group (p < .001), whereas Language and Attention Index scores were lowest in the PPA group (p < .001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the individual effects of Memory (p = .001), Language (p = .002), and Orientation (p = .025) Indices were significant. Conclusions: MoCA Index scores can help differentiate among distinct cognitive syndromes, suggesting it may be a useful brief screening tool to detect domain-specific cognitive impairment.

German Language Adaptation of the NAVS (NAVS-G) and of the NAT (NAT-G): Testing Grammar in Aphasia

“…This classification means that the patients' clinical pictures did not suggest a specific syndrome, but instead a general language impairment that was evident in functional communication [141] in the form of phonological or semantic paraphasias, which are syntactic or word-finding disorders (Table 1). In line with this, they also showed difficulties in naming, sentence repetition, verbal fluency, and verbal memory in the MoCA test (see Supplementary Table S3) [63,140].…”

“…For some stroke patients who were part of the large-scale protocol study in Freiburg, it was possible to report the MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) test scores [63] in the follow-up phase. This test is very sensitive for testing general cognitive abilities, even in patients with anomic deficits [140].…”

White matter hyperintensity burden predicts cognitive but not motor decline in Parkinson's disease: results from the Ontario Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Initiative

“…Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised -copy), and language (Boston Naming Test and category fluency -naming animals ) as previously reported 20,25 . Besides MoCA total score, we also calculated MoCA index score for memory, executive function, visuospatia l, language, attention, and orientation 26,27 .…”

Validity of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) Index Scores: a Comparison with the Cognitive Domain Scores of the Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery (SNSB)

“…Some studies were conducted to confirm the differences between clinical groups through the MoCA index score. Wood et al 9 showed that memory and orientation index scores were lowest in the AD group, whereas language and attention index scores were lowest in primary progressive aphasia (PPA). Another study used the MoCA index score for detection of cognitive decline due to neurodegenerative diseases such as AD as well as for confirming the therapeutic effect of alcoholic cognitive decline.…”