Can MoCA and MMSE Be Interchangeable Cognitive Screening Tools? A Systematic Review.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Gerontology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Cognitive disorders can precede neuropsychiatric disorders, but screening tool interchangeability is unclear.
• Early detection of neurocognitive disorder (NCD) is crucial for timely intervention.
• The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) are commonly used screening tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To contrast the efficacy of the MMSE and MoCA for early NCD detection.
• To systematically review and compare the performance of MMSE and MoCA in diverse populations.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive systematic literature review following Cochrane guidelines.
• Searched Web of Science, SciELO, and LILACS databases for studies on MMSE and MoCA.
• Included 51 studies with 11,870 participants (8,360 patients, 3,510 controls).

Main Results:

• The MoCA demonstrated higher sensitivity for NCD detection across various age groups and educational backgrounds.
• Studies indicated MoCA is more sensitive due to its assessment of executive function and visuospatial abilities.
• Some individuals with normal MMSE scores showed lower performance on MoCA.

Conclusions:

• The MoCA appears to be a more sensitive screening tool for NCD than the MMSE.
• Establishing education-specific cutoffs for MoCA is necessary to minimize false positives.
• Further research comparing MoCA with other NCD screening tools is warranted.