EPA-1593 - Psychometric and Clinometric Properties of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (moca) in a Greek Sample

Abstract

Introduction

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment(MoCA) is a psychometric tool measuring cognitive function that detects Mild Cognitive Impairment(MGI), a clinical condition which often results in dementia.

Objectives

To measure the psychometric properties of the assessment.

Aims

To explore the discriminant validity and internal consistency of the assessment.

Methods

The study included 132 patients, 56(42.2%)men and 76(57.6%)women. Of them, 12(9.1%) had dementia, 54(40.9%)psychiatric diseases, 7(5.3%)vascular strokes, 3(2.3%)organic psychosyndrome, 17(12.9%) cases were to be investigated and 36(27.3%) were patients without psychiatric illness, who were evaluated under Liaison Psychiatry. The psychometric properties of MoCA were evaluated in comparison to the Mini-Mental-State-Examination(MMSE) and Golden Standard, which was the diagnosis of the treating physician. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS21.

Results

The total scale of MoCA had a coefficient alpha of .885 and all the subscales between .878-893. MoCA had a significant high correlation with MMSE(r=-.544 p =.001) and with age(r =-.544 p =.001). No significant differences were found between men and women (t=-.707 p>.05). There was a statistically significant difference between the assessments in moderate and severe cognitive impairment, where MoCA was more sensitive (99%) than MMSE (likelihood ratio=115.3 p =.001) in all diagnostic categories. The specicifity of MoCA was 93% due to fact that it was reduced in patients with organic psychosyndrome when the golden standard found no cognitive impairment.

Conclusions

MoCA is a brief screening tool of cognitive decline with higher specificity and sensitivity in detection of mild cognitive impairment in patients who scores in normal levels of MMSE.