Like the original test, it will include exercises focused on naming objects and animals, verbal fluency, calculation, clock time, abstraction and memory.Īnd, like the original, if people score fewer than 26 of 30 possible points, they’d be urged to consult a doctor for further screening. Instead, the mini-MoCA will be a five-minute, six-question test, Nasreddine indicated. The original MoCA is a 10-minute, 30-question exam. It has been translated into several versions and multiple languages and is used in all of the National Institute on Aging’s Alzheimer’s Disease Centers. The MoCA was developed more than 20 years ago to help detect MCI. Nasreddine said his team is working now to validate the mini-MoCA, which will be a scaled-down version of the original tool. “You have to really consider being overly sensitive and causing unnecessary anxiety in people,” he said. Dean Foti, a clinical assistant professor of neurology at the University of British Columbia. It must be sensitive enough to highlight potential problems, but not so broad that it generates high numbers of false-positive results, said Dr. Much of the mini-MoCA’s success will depend on how the new tool is designed. “But whatever result comes out of a test, they still need to discuss it with a health professional to put it in perspective.” James Galvin, founding director of the Comprehensive Center for Brain Health at Florida Atlantic University. “Is it a good idea? I think there’s some value for people to get some sense of how they’re doing,” said Dr. None of them provides a definitive diagnosis and, like them, any new web-based self-assessment, including the mini-MoCA, could have its limitations, experts suggest. “I’d do big picture and talk about why early detection is so important,” she said.īut several screening tests - more than a dozen - are available. Learning about problems early allows affected people to arrange their finances, seek out clinical trials and otherwise make plans for future care, said Heather Snyder, senior director of medical and scientific operations for the Alzheimer’s Association. Up to 1 in 5 people age 65 and older have MCI, and more than half progress to dementia within five years. Such a test could potentially expand detection of mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, the earliest stage of dementia. Subscribe to KHN's free Morning Briefing. “It’s good timing to offer something for families and concerned individuals that they can self-test themselves.” “We thought, ‘OK, why shouldn’t we take the lead and develop the test?’” said Nasreddine, who had been pondering such a move for several years. Weeks after Trump posted his perfect MoCA score (30/30), the researchers started working on a new tool, dubbed the “mini-MoCA,” an online, self-administered exam for people worried about possible cognitive decline. “You need a trained person to administer this test.”īut with interest in the test so high, Nasreddine and his colleagues saw an opportunity. Ziad Nasreddine, the Lebanese-Canadian neurologist who holds the copyright to the MoCA. Trump, but that wouldn’t give them the accurate response,” said Dr. Media coverage challenged people “to test yourself to see if you fare as well as Mr. The MoCA was never meant for general use and it requires a health professional to monitor the test and interpret the results. That was a mistake, according to the scientist who created the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, or MoCA, a popular screening tool designed to spotlight potential problems with thinking and memory. When Donald Trump aced a cognitive test in January, scores of people tried to take it, too, based mostly on media reports that invited them to match wits with the president.Ĭasual users puzzled over line drawings of animals, while others wondered what it meant if they were bad at subtracting by sevens. This story can be republished for free ( details).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |