INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 04 Program Schedule 02/15/2024 12:00 pm - 01:15 pm Room: Majestic Complex (Posters 61-120) Poster Session 04: Neuroimaging \| Neurostimulation/Neuromodulation \| Teleneuropsychology/Technology Final Abstract #91 Exploring Sex-Based Differences in Cognitive Assessment: Investigating the Novel Boston Cognitive Assessment (BoCA) Malvina Pietrzykowski, Suffolk University, Boston, United States Maxine Krengel, Boston University School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Boston, United States Taylor Allard, William James College, Boston, United States Nora Turok, William James College, Boston, United States Irene Piryatinsky, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, United States Category: Teleneuropsychology/ Technology Keyword 1: computerized neuropsychological testing Keyword 2: aging (normal) Keyword 3: minority issues Objective: This study was designed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Boston Cognitive Assessment (BoCA), and specifically examine the utility for women. Understanding the distinctive cognitive landscape of women is crucial due to interaction with unique biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors that shape their aging journey. The BoCA is a self-administered 10-minute online assessment. It contains eight domains that contribute to an overall measure of global cognition. Preliminary investigation of the BoCA’s psychometric properties revealed good validity and reliability. While the BoCA has shown to be practical and effective, it requires further investigation of its readiness for clinical use. The current study replicated select analyses from preliminary administration of the BoCA , and we conducted additional sex-based difference analyses with a focus on age effects. The goal was to evaluate nuanced interplay of sex and age effects and gain deeper understanding of cognitive dynamics within clinical and research contexts. Participants and Methods: The research protocol was approved by St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center institutional review board. Participants (N = 191) were recruited from a private outpatient clinic in the Boston, MA area who were undergoing neuropsychological assessment. Inclusion criteria included being 30 or older and English speaking. Participants took the BoCA and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) following their neuropsychological battery in the same sitting: they completed the MoCA with an examiner and the BoCA on a laptop computer in the clinic. Demographic information was collected as part of the evaluation. Analyses included exploration of whole sample descriptive statistics and women (N =98 ) and men separately (N = 86). Additionally, we used Pearson correlation matrices to compare BoCA and MoCA scores. Lastly, t tests were conducted between female and male participants regarding BoCA total and subscale scores, and we regressed age on BoCA total score in female and male participants separately. Results: There was no significant difference in age (M = 51 years), education (M = 15 years), or any BoCA score (Mtotal = 26.3/30) among our female and male participants. The majority of the sample was right-handed (N = 169) and white (N = 167), and the most common primary diagnosis was an anxiety disorder (N = 56). BoCA total score correlated significantly with MoCA total score (r = .22, p = .035), and there were several significant positive correlations among subscale scores. Age predicted total BoCA score in our female (R2 = .28, F = 39.56, p < .001, B = -.54) and male participants (R2 = .09, F = 9.31, p = .003, B = -.32). Conclusions: The BoCA was shown to be a promising initial screener for cognitive assessment through its correlation with the MoCA in our female and male participants, and age predicted the overall BoCA score in both sex cohorts but with a larger effect size with the female participants. These results suggest that age may differently impact cognitive functioning in women, such that older age predicts lower BoCA scores more strongly compared to men. This work underscores the importance of exploring cognitive changes that are unique to women through a biopsychosocial model as well as the utility of digitized cognitive assessment.

Poster

02/15/2024
12:00 pm - 01:15 pm
Room: Majestic Complex (Posters 61-120)

Poster Session 04: Neuroimaging | Neurostimulation/Neuromodulation | Teleneuropsychology/Technology

Final Abstract #91

Exploring Sex-Based Differences in Cognitive Assessment: Investigating the Novel Boston Cognitive Assessment (BoCA)

Malvina Pietrzykowski, Suffolk University, Boston, United States
Maxine Krengel, Boston University School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Boston, United States
Taylor Allard, William James College, Boston, United States
Nora Turok, William James College, Boston, United States
Irene Piryatinsky, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, United States

Category: Teleneuropsychology/ Technology

Keyword 1: computerized neuropsychological testing
Keyword 2: aging (normal)
Keyword 3: minority issues

Objective:

This study was designed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Boston Cognitive Assessment (BoCA), and specifically examine the utility for women. Understanding the distinctive cognitive landscape of women is crucial due to interaction with unique biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors that shape their aging journey. The BoCA is a self-administered 10-minute online assessment. It contains eight domains that contribute to an overall measure of global cognition. Preliminary investigation of the BoCA’s psychometric properties revealed good validity and reliability. While the BoCA has shown to be practical and effective, it requires further investigation of its readiness for clinical use. The current study replicated select analyses from preliminary administration of the BoCA , and we conducted additional sex-based difference analyses with a focus on age effects. The goal was to evaluate nuanced interplay of sex and age effects and gain deeper understanding of cognitive dynamics within clinical and research contexts.

Participants and Methods:

The research protocol was approved by St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center institutional review board. Participants (N = 191) were recruited from a private outpatient clinic in the Boston, MA area who were undergoing neuropsychological assessment. Inclusion criteria included being 30 or older and English speaking. Participants took the BoCA and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) following their neuropsychological battery in the same sitting: they completed the MoCA with an examiner and the BoCA on a laptop computer in the clinic. Demographic information was collected as part of the evaluation. Analyses included exploration of whole sample descriptive statistics and women (N =98 ) and men separately (N = 86). Additionally, we used Pearson correlation matrices to compare BoCA and MoCA scores. Lastly, t tests were conducted between female and male participants regarding BoCA total and subscale scores, and we regressed age on BoCA total score in female and male participants separately.

Results:

There was no significant difference in age (M = 51 years), education (M = 15 years), or any BoCA score (Mtotal = 26.3/30) among our female and male participants. The majority of the sample was right-handed (N = 169) and white (N = 167), and the most common primary diagnosis was an anxiety disorder (N = 56). BoCA total score correlated significantly with MoCA total score (r = .22, p = .035), and there were several significant positive correlations among subscale scores. Age predicted total BoCA score in our female (R2 = .28, F = 39.56, p < .001, B = -.54) and male participants (R2 = .09, F = 9.31, p = .003, B = -.32).

Conclusions:

The BoCA was shown to be a promising initial screener for cognitive assessment through its correlation with the MoCA in our female and male participants, and age predicted the overall BoCA score in both sex cohorts but with a larger effect size with the female participants. These results suggest that age may differently impact cognitive functioning in women, such that older age predicts lower BoCA scores more strongly compared to men. This work underscores the importance of exploring cognitive changes that are unique to women through a biopsychosocial model as well as the utility of digitized cognitive assessment.