Introduction: The present study aimed at testing the longitudinal feasibility of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in an Italian cohort of non-demented amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. Methods: N = 39 nondemented ALS patients were followed-up at a 5-to-10-month interval (M = 6.8; SD = 1.4) with the MoCA and the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioral ALS Screen (ECAS). Practice effects, test-retest reliability, and predictive validity (against follow-up ECAS scores) were assessed. Reliable change indices (RCIs) were derived via a regression-based approach by accounting for retest interval and baseline confounders (i.e., demographics, disease duration, and severity and progression rate). Results: At retest, 100% and 69.2% of patients completed the ECAS and the MoCA, respectively. Patients who could not complete the MoCA showed a slightly more severe and fast-progressing disease. The MoCA was not subject to practice effects (t[32] = ?0.80; p = 0.429) and was reliable at retest (intra-class correlation = 0.82). Moreover, baseline MoCA scores predicted the ECAS at retest. RCIs were successfully derived-with baseline MoCA scores being the only significant predictor of retest performances (ps < 0.001). Conclusions: As long as motor disabilities do not undermine its applicability, the MoCA appears to be longitudinally feasible at a 5-to-10-month interval in non-demented ALS patients. However, ALSspecific screeners-such as the ECAS-should be preferred whenever possible.
Aiello, E., Solca, F., Torre, S., Colombo, E., Maranzano, A., De Lorenzo, A., et al. (2024). Longitudinal Feasibility of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in Non-Demented ALS Patients. EUROPEAN NEUROLOGY, 87(2), 79-83 [10.1159/000538828].
Longitudinal Feasibility of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in Non-Demented ALS Patients
Aiello E. N.;
2024
Abstract
Introduction: The present study aimed at testing the longitudinal feasibility of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in an Italian cohort of non-demented amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. Methods: N = 39 nondemented ALS patients were followed-up at a 5-to-10-month interval (M = 6.8; SD = 1.4) with the MoCA and the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioral ALS Screen (ECAS). Practice effects, test-retest reliability, and predictive validity (against follow-up ECAS scores) were assessed. Reliable change indices (RCIs) were derived via a regression-based approach by accounting for retest interval and baseline confounders (i.e., demographics, disease duration, and severity and progression rate). Results: At retest, 100% and 69.2% of patients completed the ECAS and the MoCA, respectively. Patients who could not complete the MoCA showed a slightly more severe and fast-progressing disease. The MoCA was not subject to practice effects (t[32] = ?0.80; p = 0.429) and was reliable at retest (intra-class correlation = 0.82). Moreover, baseline MoCA scores predicted the ECAS at retest. RCIs were successfully derived-with baseline MoCA scores being the only significant predictor of retest performances (ps < 0.001). Conclusions: As long as motor disabilities do not undermine its applicability, the MoCA appears to be longitudinally feasible at a 5-to-10-month interval in non-demented ALS patients. However, ALSspecific screeners-such as the ECAS-should be preferred whenever possible.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.