Can MOCA Be Applied for Rough Cognitive Assessment in Patients with Epilepsy in Mongolia?

Abstract

Introduction: Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder, with cognitive impairment being one of its most significant comorbidities. While the majority of individuals with epilepsy maintain regular intellectual abilities, they are more likely to experience cognitive impairment compared to a healthy control group of the same age and educational level. Aim: This study aimed to assess cognitive impairment during epilepsy, particularly temporal lobe epilepsy, and to evaluate the effectiveness of using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test for cognitive screening in individuals with epilepsy. Materials and methods: One hundred and fifty subjects were included between 2022 and 2023, which were divided into 50 people diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), 50 people with other types of epilepsy according to the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), and 50 healthy controls without epilepsy (HC). Results: Significant differences were found in the total mean scores of the MoCA between TLE, other types of epilepsy, and healthy control groups (p = 0.000), particularly in visuospatial orientation, concentration, memory recall, abstraction, and language skills. Conclusions: Evaluating cognitive impairment in epilepsy involves comprehensive neuropsychological assessments, which have significantly advanced in recent years. Nevertheless, we consider the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test to be an appropriate initial screening tool for assessing cognitive impairment in epilepsy.

Keywords: MoCA; cognitive impairment; temporal lobe epilepsy.