APA Dictionary of Psychology

a brief screening tool designed to assist clinicians in identifying mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and possible early dementia. Including items that test executive function, visuoconstructional skills, naming, memory, attention, language, conceptual thinking, and orientation to time and place, the assessment takes approximately 10 minutes to administer; the maximum score is 30 points, with a score of 26 or higher considered normal. MoCA is reported to have greater sensitivity in the detection of both MCI and early dementia than the commonly used Mini-Mental State Examination. [developed in 2005 by Canadian neurologist Ziad S. Nasreddine and colleagues]