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Performances on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Along the Cardiovascular Disease Continuum

Christine Gagnon1, Kathia Saillant1,2, Miloudza Olmand1,3

  • 1Preventive Medicine and Physical Activity Centre and Research Center, Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, Canada.

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology : the Official Journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists
|May 7, 2021
PubMed

Insights

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) detects cognitive impairment in later stages of cardiovascular disease, like heart failure, particularly in verbal fluency and memory. Earlier detection may need more detailed neuropsychological testing.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Neurology
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) encompass a spectrum from risk factors to heart failure, often accompanied by cognitive impairment (CI).
  • Cognitive impairment is prevalent in CVD, affecting up to 50% of heart failure patients and linked to adverse outcomes.
  • Early CI detection in CVD is crucial, with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) being a common screening tool.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the performance of individuals across the cardiovascular disease continuum on the MoCA and its subscores.
  • To investigate the utility of the MoCA in identifying cognitive changes associated with different CVD profiles.

Main Methods:

  • Eighty participants over 50 years old were categorized into four groups: low cardiovascular risk, high cardiovascular risk, coronary heart disease, and stable heart failure.
  • Analysis of Variance (ANCOVA) was used to compare MoCA total and subscores, controlling for sex, age, and education.

Main Results:

  • Significant differences were found in MoCA total scores, with heart failure patients scoring lower than those with low cardiovascular risk.
  • Subscore analysis revealed deficits in verbal fluency (heart failure < low risk), memory (coronary heart disease < low risk), and orientation (coronary heart disease < low and high risk).

Conclusions:

  • The MoCA, especially its verbal fluency and memory components, can identify cognitive changes in advanced cardiovascular disease stages like heart failure.
  • Detecting cognitive impairment earlier in the cardiovascular disease continuum may necessitate comprehensive neuropsychological assessments beyond the MoCA.

Keywords:
Cardiovascular disordersCognitionCognitive impairmentMemoryScreening tests

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