Optimal MoCA cutoffs are lower among Spanish-speaking Latinos

In a cross-sectional study of 1,780 English- and Spanish-speaking Latinos, researchers established revised cutoff scores for the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Standard MoCA cutoffs often perform poorly among US Latinos, partly because earlier research used small samples, grouped mild cognitive impairment (MCI) with dementia, or overlooked intersecting demographic factors. The study evaluated participants classified as cognitively unimpaired, having MCI, or having dementia. Area under the curve (AUC) values for distinguishing unimpaired individuals from those with MCI were 0.70 in Spanish-tested participants and 0.75 in English-tested participants. For distinguishing MCI from dementia, AUC values reached 0.83 for Spanish testers and 0.84 for English testers. Optimal cutoffs were substantially lower than traditional thresholds, particularly among older Spanish speakers and those with lower educational attainment.