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Cognitive Screening of Federal Public Leaders: MoCA Performance, Cognitive Risk, and Predictors of Variability in a
Telesmagno Neves-Teles1, Guilherme da Silva Freitas1, Lígia Vechi de Oliveira1
1Universidade Federal do Rio Grande Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Scandinavian Journal of Psychology
|May 13, 2026
Summary
Federal leaders showed preserved global cognition, but memory screening revealed subtle vulnerabilities. Intellectual functioning positively impacted cognitive performance, while age negatively affected it after accounting for cognitive reserve.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- Cognitive screening is crucial for early detection of mental health issues and cognitive decline.
- Federal public managers in Brazil underwent an unprecedented structured cognitive assessment.
- This study aimed to characterize cognitive status and influencing factors in this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the cognitive status of federal public leaders in Brazil.
- To investigate the roles of intellectual functioning and age in cognitive performance.
- To identify potential cognitive vulnerabilities using a multimodal screening protocol.
Main Methods:
- Seventy-eight leaders completed remote cognitive screening.
- Assessments included the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III) short form.
- Statistical analyses involved correlations, hierarchical regression, and bootstrapping.
Main Results:
- MMSE scores were high, indicating ceiling effects in this educated group.
- While global MoCA scores were generally healthy, the Memory Index Score identified more individuals with potential cognitive vulnerability.
- Intellectual functioning strongly predicted cognitive performance; age predicted decline only after controlling for intellectual functioning.
Conclusions:
- Federal leaders exhibit preserved global cognition but show significant variability in episodic memory.
- Memory-sensitive cognitive indices are valuable for early detection of subtle changes in high-responsibility roles.
- Findings support cognitive reserve models, highlighting the interplay between intellect, age, and cognition.
Keywords:
cognitive reservecognitive screeningcognitive vulnerabilityepisodic memoryintellectual functioningneurocognitive assessmentpublic sector leadershipMore Related Videos
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