AUTHOR=Tan Ji-ping , Wang Xiaoxiao , Zhang Shimin , Zhao Yiming , Lan Xiaoyang , Li Nan , Wang Lu-ning , Gao Jing 

TITLE=Accuracy of the Short-Form Montreal Cognitive Assessment Chinese Versions

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/aging-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2021.687824

DOI=10.3389/fnagi.2021.687824

ISSN=1663-4365

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Background:</bold> There is a strong need for short and effective methods to screen for cognitive impairment. Recent studies have created short forms of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (s-MoCA) in English-speaking populations. It is also important to develop a validated Chinese short version to detect cognitive impairment.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> Item response theory and computerized adaptive testing analytics were used to construct abbreviated MoCAs across a large neurological sample comprising 6,981 community-dwelling Chinese veterans.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Six MoCA items with high discrimination and appropriate difficulty were included in the s-MoCA. The Chinese short versions (sensitivity 0.89/0.90, specificity 0.72/0.77) are similar in performance to the full MoCA in identifying cognitive impairment (sensitivity 0.91, specificity 0.82).</p><p><bold>Conclusions:</bold> These short variants of the MoCA may serve as quick and effective instruments when the original MoCA cannot be feasibly administered in clinical services with a high patient burden and limited cognitive testing resources.</p>