Objective: Schizophrenia is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder and the cognitive deficit is central feature of the schizophrenia. Cognitive impairment is related to clinical symptoms, social and functional outcome. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical usability of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) as a screening instrument for cognitive impairment in schizophrenic patients alone, and in correlation with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).
Methods: This clinical study included 31 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Patients were selected from Psychiatry Clinic, Erenkoy Research and Training Hospital for Psychiatric and Neurological Disorders in the period between March 2013 and June 2013. For the assessment of cognitive impairment we used Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).
Results: From the total number of patients (n=31), 6/30 (19.4%) were males and 25/30 (80.6%) were females; mean duration of the disorder was 23.5 year (S.D=6.69). Seventeen patients (54.8%) of those on MMSE scale had a score greater or equal to 24 (normal range) and the MoCA scale had a normal score (>21), while 11 (35.5%) patients reported moderate to severe cognitive impairment. Analysis of the correlation coefficient between the total score of MoCA and MMSE scale indicates a statistically significant positive correlation with Spearman rho=0.81 and p<0.001.
Conclusion: Our findings provide preliminary evidence that MoCA scale performed well in screening mild and moderate cognitive impairments of schizophrenia patients in outpatient clinics and more sensitive than MMSE.