MONTREAL COGNITIVE ASSESSMENT VS. ROWLAND UNIVERSAL DEMENTIA ASSESSMENT SCALE FOR COGNITIVE SCREENING

Abstract

Our study involved 208 consecutive patients seen in an outpatient memory clinic in London, Ontario, Canada (63 with diagnosis of mild dementia, 86 with diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment, 59 with normal cognition) for whom both a MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) and RUDAS (Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale) could be completed. The sensitivity and specificity of both measures were assessed for detection of mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Using a cutoff score of 25 or less for both, the MoCA had a sensitivity of 97 % to detect dementia, with only 31% specificity, while the RUDAS had a 94% sensitivity to detect dementia, with 54% specificity. The MoCA at 25 or less had a sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 69% to detect mild cognitive impairment, while the RUDAS at 25 had a sensitivity of 81% and a specificity of 88% to detect mild cognitive impairment. RUDAS score variation with educational attainment is significantly smaller than MoCA score variation (P<0.01). The RUDAS is significantly briefer than the MoCA as a cognitive screening tool, and demonstrated similar sensitivity for dementia, with much better specificity for dementia and mild cognitive impairment, in an outpatient memory clinic.