부산대학교 도서관

Objective: The purpose of this pilot project was development of norms for the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) from a community sample. The Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) is widely used in detecting mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Due to the wide variability with age and education within the population, Crum and associates developed population based norms. Another MCI assessment, the MOCA, reportedly has greater sensitivity in detecting cognitive decline than the MMSE. Method: De-identified MOCA data (n = 245) gathered from a community clinic and academic setting were used. Mean age was 30.19 (SD = 16.15) years. Average education was 13.60 (SD = 2.13) years, with a range of 6 to 24 years. The group was comprised of 88 males and 157 females. Scores on the MOCA ranged from 8 to 30. Research interns supervised by a licensed psychologist gathered data from de-identified previously administered MOCA assessments. An age to education matrix was created with mean scores and standard deviations. Results: Total scores for the MOCA were higher than the previously published normative data (M = 26.30, SD = 3.12), with 33.5% falling below the suggested cutoff ( < 26) for impairment. There was a significant negative correlation between age and MOCA scores, r(243) = −.36, p < .05. Conclusion(s): The need for population based norms for the MOCA specific to the present community justifies the present study. These findings support further research with a larger sample from the present population. It is also important to consider demographic factors when attempting to use presently established cut off scores for the MOCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]