Conclusionĭespite similar overall scores being obtained with the two versions of the MoCA, there were item-specific differences that may compromise their interchangeable use.Īhles TA (2012) Brain vulnerability to chemotherapy toxicities Psycho-Oncology 21:1141–1148 In version 7.1, the language and memory domains presented higher scores and lower visuospatial ability. There were significant differences in the percentage of correct answers in 7 out of 12 tasks, being the highest for the copy of a geometric figure (more than twofold higher with version 7.3). For women with midrange scores, total scores were significantly higher in version 7.1. The Bland–Altman limits of agreement were − 3.70 to 3.88. The mean total scores were not statistically different between versions and the ICC was 0.890. Agreements between versions, regarding total, sub-domain, and task scores, were assessed using Bland–Altman plots and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). At the 3-year follow-up ( n = 422), the 7.1 and 7.3 versions were applied at the beginning and at the end (approximately 1 h later) of this evaluation, respectively. MethodsīCa patients from the NEON-BC cohort were evaluated with the MoCA, version 7.1, after diagnosis and after 1 year. Since learning effects could be overcome through the alternate use of two versions of the MoCA, we aimed to explore their interchangeability by comparing their overall, and domain- and task-specific, scores among patients with BCa. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a widely used cognitive impairment screening tool, but practice effects must be considered for longitudinal assessments. Willmes K (2010) The methodological and statistical foundations of neuropsychological assessment.The cognitive performance of patients with breast cancer (BCa) may be affected by cancer and its treatments. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values: foundations, pliabilities, and pitfalls in research and practice. Relationship between the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Mini-mental State Examination for assessment of mild cognitive impairment in older adults. Trzepacz PT, Hochstetler H, Wang S, Walker B, Saykin AJ. Cognitive tests to detect dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Tsoi KK, Chan JY, Hirai HW, Wong SY, Kwok TC. Neuropsychological Assessment of Neuropsychiatric and Neuromedical Disorders. Italian practitioners should consider an adaptive use of region-specific norms for the MoCA.Īdaptive testing Cognitive impairment Cultural differences Item Response Theory Montreal Cognitive Assessment Normative data. Item-level information herewith provided for the Italian MoCA can help interpret its scores by Italian practitioners. Memory items showed high discriminative capability, along with certain items assessing executive functions and orientation. Several items proved to be scarcely sensitive, especially the place item from Orientation and the letter detection task. Substantial disagreements with previous ESs classifications were detected. No sex differences were detected when tested along with age and education. Agreement with previous ESs classification was assessed via Cohen's k.Īge and education significantly predicted all MoCA measures except for Orientation, which was related to age only. Normative values were derived by means of the Equivalent Scores (ESs) method, applied to the MoCA and its sub-scales. Item Response Theory (IRT) was adopted to assess item difficulty and discrimination. This study thus aimed at providing: (i) updated, region-specific norms for the Italian MoCA, by also (ii) comparing them to pre-existing ones with higher geographical coverage (iii) information on sensitivity and discriminative capability at the item level.įive hundred and seventy nine healthy individuals from Northern Italy (208 males, 371 females age: 63.4 ± 15, 21-96 education: 11.3 ± 4.6, 1-25) were administered the MoCA. The availability of fine-grained, culture-specific psychometric outcomes can favor the interpretation of scores of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), the most frequently used instrument to screen for mild cognitive dysfunctions in both instrumental and non-instrumental domains.