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Updated: Dec 30, 2025
A Machine Learning Approach to Design an Efficient Selective Screening of Mild Cognitive Impairment
Published on: January 11, 2020
Screening for cognitive impairment in non-affective psychoses: A comparison between the SCIP and the MoCA
Martino Belvederi Murri1, Federica Folesani1, Silvia Costa1
1Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Biomedical and Specialty Surgical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
Background:
Neuropsychological performance has a strong impact on real-life functioning and clinical outcomes in psychosis. However, conducting lengthy cognitive assessments may not be feasible in routine clinical practice. Brief, reliable and cost-effective tools are highly needed, but few studies are available to guide clinician choice.
Methods:
The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of two widely used, short instruments: the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). These instruments were validated in a sample of patients with psychotic disorders and healthy controls, using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) and other instruments to assess executive functions, as comparators.
Results:
Patients fared worse than controls across almost all cognitive domains, with effect sizes ranging from 0 (MoCA naming) to 2.08 (SCIP total). Receiver Operator Curve analysis of patient and control performance suggested a better convergent validity for the SCIP (total score AUC: 0.85; 95%CI: 0.79-0.90; Se: 76%, Sp: 83%, PPV: 85%, NPV: 73%) than the MoCA (AUC: 0.78; 95%CI: 0.72-0.85; Se: 69%, Sp: 76%, PPV: 78.7%, NPV 66%).
Conclusions:
The Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry seems to be a more sensitive and specific screening tool than the MoCA to identify cognitive impairment among patients with psychotic disorders.
