Lacy M, Hauser M, Pliskin N et al (2013) The effects of long-term interferon-beta-1b treatment on cognitive functioning in multiple sclerosis: a 16-year longitudinal study. Īmato MP, Razzolini L, Goretti B et al (2013) Cognitive reserve and cortical atrophy in multiple sclerosis: a longitudinal study. Īmato MP, Ponziani G, Siracusa G et al (2001) Cognitive dysfunction in early-onset multiple sclerosis: a reappraisal after 10 years. Sumowski JF, Benedict R, Enzinger C, Filippi M, Geurts JJ, Hamalainen P et al (2018) Cognition in multiple sclerosis: state of the field and priorities for the future. Rao SM, Leo GJ, Bernardin L, Unverzagt F (1991) Cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis: frequency, patterns, and prediction. Zhang X, Zhang F, Huang D et al (2017) Contribution of gray and white matter abnormalities to cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis. Ĭhiaravalloti ND, DeLuca J (2008) Cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis. Trapp BD, Ransohoff R, Rudick R (1999) Axonal pathology in multiple sclerosis: relationship to neurologic disability. Nonetheless, more studies are required to examine the optimum cut-off score for detecting cognitive impairments in MS patients. In patients with MS, the MoCA provides information on general cognitive functions disturbances.

Furthermore, in MS patients without subjective cognitive complaints, a cutoff of 27 could provide a better balance between the sensitivity and the specificity of the test. Although the MoCA test demonstrated good sensitivity and specificity when used at the recommended threshold of 26, a lower threshold than the original cut-off was also reported to be useful for optimal screening, as it lowers false positive rates and improves diagnostic accuracy. Publication period ranged from 2012 to 2020.

We identified fourteen studies that met the inclusion criteria: three cross-sectional studies and two case – control studies comparing MoCA to a battery of tests, one study comparing MoCA to Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and eight studies estimating the prevalence of cognitive impairment in individuals with MS. We conducted a systematic literature review, searching five databases from inception until May 2020. This study aims to systematically review the evidence on the accuracy of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test for evaluating the presence of cognitive impairment in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and to outline the quality and quantity of research evidence available about the use of MoCA in this population.

Moca cognitive assessment scoring