title: Cognitive dysfunction in SLE: development of a screening tool.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cognitive dysfunction (CD) is among the most common neuropsychiatric manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). There are two methods which have been used to detect CD in patients with SLE: traditional neuropsychological tests (NPT) and the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM). Both are time-consuming and neither is readily available for screening purposes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of our study was to evaluate the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test as a screening tool for detection of CD in SLE. Methods. SLE patients fulfilling ACR criteria were administered the ANAM, a computerized test battery which measures various cognitive domains and the MoCA, a one-page, performance-based screening test designed to detect mild cognitive impairment in the elderly. With the ANAM as the gold standard, the performance characteristics of the MoCA were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 44 patients were evaluated. Of these, 11 (25%) were identified by the ANAM as being impaired in comparison with 13 (29.5%) by the MoCA. The scores were significantly correlated (r = 0.57, p < 0.001). Using the standard cutoff of 26, the sensitivity of MoCA was 83% and specificity 73%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The MoCA appears to be a promising screening tool for the detection of CD in SLE both for epidemiologic studies and for routine clinical care.
authors.affiliation: Division of Immunology, Allergy, and Rheumatology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Adhikari
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piatti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Luggen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results