Italian normative data for a stroke specific cognitive screening tool: the Oxford Cognitive Screen (OCS)

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Neuropsychology
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Cognitive deficits are common post-stroke and predict long-term outcomes.
• Existing screening tools lack specificity for early stroke-related cognitive changes.
• The Oxford Cognitive Screen (OCS) offers a novel approach for early assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To standardize the Oxford Cognitive Screen (OCS) for the Italian population.
• To establish normative data for OCS sub-tests in healthy Italian adults.
• To enable reliable early cognitive assessment in Italian stroke patients.

Main Methods:

• Standardization of the OCS on a large, diverse Italian sample.
• Stratification of participants by age, gender, and education level.
• Analysis of demographic influences on OCS task performance.

Main Results:

• Confirmed significant effects of age, education, and gender on OCS performance.
• Developed age-, education-, and gender-adjusted normative data for ten OCS sub-tests.
• Provided essential data for the OCS's clinical application in Italy.

Conclusions:

• The availability of Italian OCS normative data is crucial for accurate stroke patient assessment.
• Standardization ensures the OCS can be reliably used in clinical practice.
• This facilitates better understanding and management of cognitive impairment post-stroke.