Introduction:

the MoCA-Test is a brief, sensitive and specific screening tool used to detect mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, with cut-off points that vary according to the population studied.

Objective:

to evaluate the reliability and discriminant validity of the MoCA-test, in a group of adults from Bogotá, with different levels of schooling.

Material and Methods:

the MoCA-test and the MMSE were applied to 1174 adults over 50 years old from different locations in Bogotá. Subjects with MoCA-test <26 and MMSE <24, were referred to a second evaluation by applying a broad protocol and were analyzed by consensus, to determine normality or cognitive impairment. Internal consistency (with Cronbach's alpha coefficient), test-retest reliability (with Lin coefficient), criterion validity (with Spearman's coefficient) and discriminant validity (using ROC curves) of the MoCA-Test were determined.

Results:

internal consistency (alpha-Cronbach = 0.851) and test-retest reliability (Lin = 0.62) were acceptable. The criterion validity with respect to MMSE was moderate (r = 0.65). The MoCA-test showed the capacity to discriminate between different diagnostic and sociodemographic groups. The area under the curve was 0.76 for MCI and 0.81 for dementia; the cutoff point for discriminating between normality and MCI in the group in general was 20/21 and between MCI and dementia 17/18. These points varied with the level of schooling.

Conclusion:

the MoCA-test can be the screening tool in primary care in order to detect cognitive impairment in our adult population, considering the proposed cutoff points according to schooling. (Acta Med Colomb 2016; 40: 221-228).