Influence of Age and Education on the Performance of Elderly in the Brazilian Version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Battery

Aims: To provide normative data for the Brazilian version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-BR) and to measure the effect of sociodemographic variables on the cognitive performance of cognitively healthy elderly people. Methods: A sample of 110 cognitively healthy individuals, aged over 65 years, with at least 4 years of schooling were recruited from 3 health care centers for the elderly in Recife, Brazil. The cognitive performance was assessed using MoCA-BR. Results: The average score of these elderly people in the MoCA-BR was 23.2 ± 2.7. Their schooling correlated positively with the cognitive performance, with a Spearman’s coefficient of 0.33 (p < 0.001). There was a statistically significant negative correlation between age and the cognitive performance (Spearman’s rho = –0.19). The multiple linear regression model with the highest adjusted coefficient of determination was the one that included schooling and age (adjusted R² = 0.127). Conclusions: The cognitive performance of healthy elderly was evaluated and was strongly influenced by schooling and, to a lower degree, by age.