Objective: This study investigated the cultural validity of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in Bangladeshi adults with Parkinson’s disease in East London using the validated English and Bengali versions of MoCA.
Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive disorder that manifests with motor, non-motor and cognitive features1. The MoCA is designated as a recommended brief cognitive assessment to detect cognitive impairment in people with PD.
Method: This study formed a part of the East London Parkinson’s Disease project. The MoCA test was administered during an appointment in the Royal London Hospital or a home visit using both versions in English (version 8.3) and Bengali MoCA (version 7.1) in a random order. Participants underwent other assessments of motor and non-motor symptoms. Data analysis was conducted using unpaired t–tests for between-group comparisons and paired t-test for within-group comparisons and the use of Bland Altman plots to see the spread of scores and variability in the Bengali and English MoCA.
Results: A total of 50 people with PD and 22 healthy controls (HC) (until 20 December 2024) were included in this study. The total Bengali and English MoCA scores (mean± SD) were significantly lower in people with PD ((18.0±8.2) and (14.0±8.0)), respectively, compared to the HC group (Bengali MoCA score: 25.9±3.8 and English MoCA score: 21.8±5.7) (p<0.001). Both people with PD and HC groups scored significantly higher in the Bengali version of MoCA than the English version (p≤0.01).
Conclusion: Unsurprisingly healthy controls performed better (an average of 4-point higher) than patients with PD using both the English and Bengali MoCA. This study findings suggest that MoCA scores differentiate between people with PD and HC, but the cut-offs varied according to the version used. Thus, the English MoCA is not culturally fair for the Bengali community, which may reflect lack of fairness in other ethnicities. Therefore, cultural and linguistic adjustments need to be made to standardise MoCA in different ethnicities.
References: [1] Kalia, L. V., & Lang, A. E. (2015). Parkinson’s disease. The Lancet, 386(9996), 896-912.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
K. Dey, A. Shahid, M. Singh, A. Zirra, E. Camboe, R. Weil, D. Gallagher, C. Budu, T. Haque, S. Waters, S. Ali, N. Mukadam, C. Marshall, A. Noyce. The Cultural Validation of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment in Bangladeshi Adults with Parkinson’s Disease in East London [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2025; 40 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/the-cultural-validation-of-the-montreal-cognitive-assessment-in-bangladeshi-adults-with-parkinsons-disease-in-east-london/. Accessed October 5, 2025.« Back to 2025 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/the-cultural-validation-of-the-montreal-cognitive-assessment-in-bangladeshi-adults-with-parkinsons-disease-in-east-london/