The Montreal Cognitive Assessment: Creating a Crosswalk with the Mini-Mental State Examination.
OBJECTIVE
To establish Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores that correspond to well-established cut-points on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).


METHODS
Cross-sectional observational study.


METHODS
General medical service of a large teaching hospital.


METHODS
Individuals aged 75 and older (N = 199; mean age 84, 63% female).


METHODS
The MoCA (range 0-30) and the MMSE (range 0-30) were administered within 2 hours of each other. The Abbreviated MoCA (A-MoCA; range 0-22) was calculated from the full MoCA. Scores from the three tests were analyzed using equipercentile equating, a statistical method for determining comparable scores on different tests of a similar construct by estimating percentile equivalents.


RESULTS
MoCA scores were lower (mean 19.3 ± 5.8) than MMSE scored (mean 24.1 ± 6.6). Traditional MMSE cut-points of 27 for mild cognitive impairment and 23 for dementia corresponded to MoCA scores of 23 and 17, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Scores on the full and abbreviated versions of the MoCA can be linked directly to the MMSE. The MoCA may be more sensitive to changes in cognitive performance at higher levels of functioning.
Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts.|Aging Brain Center, Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife, Boston, Massachusetts.
Jane S
JS
Saczynski
Aging Brain Center, Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife, Boston, Massachusetts.|Division of Gerontology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.|Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Sharon K
SK
Inouye
Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.|Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.
Jamey
J
Guess
Aging Brain Center, Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife, Boston, Massachusetts.|Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University Medical School, Providence, Rhode Island.
Richard N
RN
Jones
Aging Brain Center, Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife, Boston, Massachusetts.|Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.|Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.
Tamara G
TG
Fong
Aging Brain Center, Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife, Boston, Massachusetts.|Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.
Emese
E
Nemeth
Aging Brain Center, Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife, Boston, Massachusetts.|Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.
Ariel
A
Hodara
Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.|Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.
Long
L
Ngo
Aging Brain Center, Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife, Boston, Massachusetts.|Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.|Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.
Edward R
ER
Marcantonio
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000175:diagnosis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003693:Delirium / Q000175:diagnosis; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests
cognition; measurement; screening