Does the MoCA-BJ improve the detection of mild cognitive impairment compared to the MMSE in Chinese older adults?
The MoCA-BJ is an acceptable screening tool for mild cognitive impairment in Chinese older adults, but it does not significantly outperform the MMSE and requires further cultural and linguistic modifications.
In general, the MoCA-BJ is an acceptable tool for MCI screening in both urban and rural regions of Beijing. However, presumably due to the linguistic and cultural differences between the original English version and the Chinese version of the scale, and the lower education level of Chinese older adults, the MoCA-BJ is not much better than the MMSE in detecting MCI, at least for this study sample. Further modifications to several test items of the MoCA-BJ are recommended in order to improve the applicability and effectiveness of the MoCA-BJ in MCI screening among the Chinese population.
Yu et al. (2012) studied this question.