Category: Parkinson's Disease: Non-Motor Symptoms
Objective: To explore neuropsychological test scores of Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients who were categorized based on their Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores as having mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and to analyze the correlation between this categorization to other self-reported daily cognitive functional abilities.
Background: Administering an abbreviated global cognitive test as the MoCA is the recommended first level diagnostic procedure for PD- MCI. Level two requires a comprehensive assessment using a battery of neuropsychological tests. The MoCA’s suitability for identifying PD-MCI is questionable, and despite the importance of cognitive deficits as reflected through daily functioning in identifying PD-MCI, knowledge about it is scarce.
Method: Seventy-eight non-demented PD patients (ages 42-78 years) participated, 46 with low MoCA scores (22 to 25) and 32 with high MoCA scores (26 to 30). A medical assessment and level II neuropsychological assessment tools were administered along with standardized self-report questionnaires about their daily function which reflects their cognitive abilities.
Results: A high percentage in the low MoCA group obtained neuropsychological test scores within the normal range and a notable number in the high MoCA group were identified with MCI-level scores on various neuropsychological tests. Suspected PD-MCI according to the Level I criteria did not correspond well with the level II criteria. Notwithstanding positive correlations were found with three self-report questionnaires.
Conclusion: These results support the ongoing discussion on the complexity of capturing PD-MCI, focusing on the limitations of the various levels of cognitive testing. Assessments which reflect the cognitive encounters in PD patients’ real-life daily confrontations may be advantageous when cognitive decline is suspected.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
S. Hassin-Baer, S. Meyer, N. Gemerman, L. Mentzer, S. Israeli-Korn, A. Richardson, V. Livneh, T. Fay Karmon, T. Nevo, H. Strauss, G. Yahalom, S. Rosenblum. Is the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) Suitable for Identifying Mild Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson’s Disease? [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2020; 35 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/is-the-montreal-cognitive-assessment-moca-suitable-for-identifying-mild-cognitive-impairment-in-parkinsons-disease/. Accessed June 15, 2025.« Back to MDS Virtual Congress 2020
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/is-the-montreal-cognitive-assessment-moca-suitable-for-identifying-mild-cognitive-impairment-in-parkinsons-disease/