The Montreal Cognitive Assessment is a screening tool for which condition?

• A. Mild cognitive impairment
• B. Alzheimer's disease
• C. Mood disorder
• D. Language impairment

Answer: (A)

MoCA is a brief screening test designed to detect cognitive changes, especially subtle ones that occur early. It assesses multiple domains—attention, memory, executive function, language, visuospatial skills, and orientation—making it more sensitive to mild cognitive impairment than some other screens. Because its primary purpose is to flag early or mild cognitive deficits across several areas, the best match is mild cognitive impairment. It isn’t a diagnostic tool for mood disorders, a language-only impairment, or a definitive test for Alzheimer’s disease; rather, it signals when further, more detailed evaluation is needed to determine the cause of cognitive changes.