title: Depressive Symptoms Negatively Impact Montreal Cognitive Assessment Performance: A Memory Clinic Experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a general cognitive screening tool that has shown sensitivity in detecting mild levels of cognitive impairment in various clinical populations. Although mood dysfunction is common in referrals to memory clinics, the influence of mood on the MoCA has to date been largely unexplored.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, we examined the impact of mood dysfunction on the MoCA using a memory clinic sample of individuals with depressive symptoms who did not meet criteria for a neurodegenerative disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Half of the group with depressive symptoms scored below the MoCA-suggested cutoff for cognitive impairment. As a group, they scored below healthy controls, but above individuals with Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia. A MoCA subtask analysis revealed a pattern of executive/attentional dysfunction in those with depressive symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This observed negative impact of depressive symptomatology on the MoCA has interpretative implications for its utility as a cognitive screening tool in a memory clinic setting.
authors: 1Department of Cognitive Neurology,Parkwood Institute,London,Ontario,Canada.
authors: Mervin
authors: M
authors: Blair
authors: 1Department of Cognitive Neurology,Parkwood Institute,London,Ontario,Canada.
authors: Kristy
authors: K
authors: Coleman
authors: 1Department of Cognitive Neurology,Parkwood Institute,London,Ontario,Canada.
authors: Sarah
authors: S
authors: Jesso
authors: 2Université du Québec à Montréal,Montréal,Québec,Canada.
authors: Véronique
authors: V
authors: Desbeaumes Jodoin
authors: 3Hamilton Health Sciences,Hamilton,Ontario,Canada.
authors: Kathy
authors: K
authors: Smolewska
authors: 3Hamilton Health Sciences,Hamilton,Ontario,Canada.
authors: Erin
authors: E
authors: Warriner
authors: 1Department of Cognitive Neurology,Parkwood Institute,London,Ontario,Canada.
authors: Elizabeth
authors: E
authors: Finger
authors: 1Department of Cognitive Neurology,Parkwood Institute,London,Ontario,Canada.
authors: Stephen H
authors: SH
authors: Pasternak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D057180:Frontotemporal Dementia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; MoCA; depression; executive function; frontotemporal dementia; memory