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Objective To establish a cut score for the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) that distinguishes mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from normal cognition (NC) in a community-based African American (AA) sample. Methods A total of 135 AA participants, from a larger aging study, diagnosed MCI (n = 90) or NC (n = 45) via consensus diagnosis using clinical history, Clinical Dementia Rating score, and comprehensive neuropsychological testing. Logistic regression models utilized sex, education, age, and MoCA score to predict MCI versus NC. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis determined a cut score to distinguish MCI from NC based on optimal sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic accuracy, and greatest perpendicular distance above the identity line. ROC results were compared with previously published MoCA cut scores. Results The MCI group was slightly older (M MCI = 64.76[5.87], M NC = 62.33[6.76]; p =.033) and less educated (M MCI = 13.07[2.37], M NC = 14.36[2.51]; p =.004) and had lower MoCA scores (M MCI=21.26[3.85], M NC = 25.47[2.13]; p <.001) than the NC group. Demographics were non-significant in regression models. The area under the curve (AUC) was significant (MoCA =.83, p <.01) and an optimal cut score of <24 maximized sensitivity (72%), specificity (84%), and provided 76% diagnostic accuracy. In comparison, the traditional cut score of <26 had higher sensitivity (84%), similar accuracy (76%), but much lower specificity (58%). Conclusions This study provides a MoCA cut score to help differentiate persons with MCI from NC in a community-dwelling AA sample. A cut score of <24 reduces the likelihood of misclassifying normal AA individuals as impaired than the traditional cut score. This study underscores the importance of culturally appropriate norms to optimize the utility of commonly used cognitive screening measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To report descriptive and normative data for the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in a population-based African American sample. Method: The MoCA was administered to 1,419 African American participants (mean age 49.89 years, range 18-75, 64% female). After excluding those with subjective cognitive complaints (n = 301), normative data were generated by education and overlapping age ranges (n = 1,118). Pearson correlations and analysis of variance were used to examine the relationship to demographic variables, and frequency of missed items was reviewed. Results: Total MoCA scores (mean 22.3, SD 3.9) were lower than previously published normative data derived from an elderly Caucasian Canadian population with 80% falling below the suggested cutoff (<26) for impairment. Several MoCA items were missed by a large portion of the sample, including cube drawing (72%), delayed free recall (66% <4/5 words), sentence repetition (63%), and abstraction items (45%). Conclusion: This is the first study to examine normative performance on the MoCA specific to community-dwelling African Americans. Findings suggest that certain aspects of this measure and previously established cutoff scores may not be well-suited for some populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To characterize potential differences in youth concussion sustained in motor vehicle accident (MVA) versus sport-related concussion (SRC), hypothesizing that youth who sustain concussion in a MVA would endorse higher initial and persistent symptom scores compared to those with SRC, despite similar injury severity levels. Methods Participants age 12–18 who sustained a concussion (i.e. Glasgow Coma Scale = 13–15) in a MVA (n  = 35) were matched with SRC participants (n  = 35) by sex, age, and days since injury. ANCOVA comparing initial postconcussion total symptom scores between the MVA and SRC groups were performed. Chi-square analysis with injury group by recovery time was used to determine whether youth who sustained concussion from MVA were more likely to endorse symptoms persisting >30 days at 3 months postinjury, and ANCOVA compared 3-month total symptom scores. Results On average, the MVA group reported significantly higher initial postconcussion and more frequent persistent symptom scores compared to the SRC group. Conclusions This is the first known study to examine context of injury in youth concussion while matching for injury severity, age, sex, and days since injury. Findings suggest the context of injury is an important clinical variable related to initial reporting of symptoms and endorsement of symptoms lasting more than 30 days. Tailored interventions that consider the context of injury may facilitate symptom resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Variability in recovery time following sport-related concussion (SRC) is poorly understood. We explored the utility of brief mood, anxiety, and sleep questionnaires as postinjury predictors of SRC symptom clearance in adolescents. Method At initial visit 0–2 weeks postinjury, concussed athletes aged 12–18 years self-reported injury/medical factors (prior concussion, loss of consciousness, amnesia, and concussion symptom severity) and were administered psychological symptom measures. At 3 months, medical record review determined return-to-play (RTP) date. Subjects were divided into two datasets, with the first utilized for developing cutoff scores and then validated with the second dataset. Results A total of 64% of the 141 participants had early RTP (within 21 days postinjury), and 23% had late RTP (postinjury day 30 or later). The Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener (GAD-7, M  = 2.1, SD  = 3.1) was the only significant predictor (p  = .001), with a 1.4-fold [95% CI 1.2–1.8] increased risk for every point. No other factors in the full model discriminated recovery groups (p s > .05). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis derived a GAD-7 cut score ≥3 (sensitivity= 56.7%, specificity = 74.2%, AUCs = 0.63–0.79, p s < .001). Conclusions Postconcussion anxiety symptoms may help identify individuals at increased risk for prolonged recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The feasibility and reliability of neuropsychological assessment at a distance have been demonstrated, but the validity of this testing medium has not been adequately demonstrated. The purpose of this study was to determine the ability of video teleconferencing administration of neuropsychological measures (teleneuropsychology) in discriminating cognitively impaired from non-impaired groups of older adults. It was predicted that measures administered via video teleconference would distinguish groups and that the magnitude of differences between impaired and non-impaired groups would be similar to group differences achieved in traditional administration. Methods The sample consisted of 197 older subjects, separated into two groups, with and without cognitive impairment. The cognitive impairment group included 78 individuals with clinical diagnoses of mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease. All participants completed counterbalanced neuropsychological testing using alternate test forms in both a teleneuropsychology and a traditional face-to-face (FTF) administration condition. Tests were selected based upon their common use in dementia evaluations, brevity, and assessment of multiple cognitive domains. Results from FTF and teleneuropsychology test conditions were compared using individual repeated measures ANCOVA, controlling for age, education, gender, and depression scores. Results All ANCOVA models revealed significant main effects of group and a non-significant interaction between group and administration condition. All ANCOVA models revealed non-significant main effects for administration condition, except category fluency. Conclusions Results derived from teleneuropsychologically administered tests can distinguish between cognitively impaired and non-impaired individuals similar to traditional FTF assessment. This adds to the growing teleneuropsychology literature by supporting the validity of remote assessments in aging populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the feasibility and reliability of a brief battery of standard neuropsychological tests administered via video teleconference (VTC) to a sample of rural American Indians compared with traditional face-to-face administration. Methods: The sample consisted of 84 participants from the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma, including 53 females and 31 males [M age = 64.89 (SD = 9.73), M education = 12.58 (SD = 2.35)]. Of these, 29 had a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment or dementia, and 55 were cognitively normal. Tests included the MMSE, Clock Drawing, Digit Span Forward and Backward, Oral Trails, Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised, Letter and Category Fluency, and a short form Boston Naming Test. Alternative forms of tests were administered in counterbalanced fashion in both face-to-face and VTC conditions. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to compare test scores between test conditions across the entire sample. Results: All ICCs were significant (p < .0001) and ranged from 0.65 (Clock Drawing) to 0.93 (Boston Naming Test), with a mean ICC of 0.82. Conclusion: Results add to the expanding literature supporting the feasibility and reliability of remote videoconference-based neuropsychological test administration and extend findings to American Indians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]