Comparison of the use of screening tools for evaluating cognitive impairment in patients with Parkinson's disease

Background Screening tests have been used for cognitive deficits in Parkinson's disease (PD). Objective This study compared the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the clock drawing test for this purpose. Methods A total of 50 patients with PD were selected, 41 (82%) were diagnosed with dementia by the criteria of the Movement Disorder Society. The test Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson's Disease-Cognition (SCOPA-Cog) was used as the gold standard in comparison with the screening tests. Results The MoCA test (AUC=0.906) had a sensitivity of 87.80% and specificity of 88.89%. When the MMSE was associated with the clock drawing test (AUC=0.936), it had a specificity of 66.67% and sensitivity of up to 97.56%. Conclusion The study suggests that the MoCA test can be a good screening test in PD. However, MMSE associated with the clock drawing test may be more effective than the MoCA test.