Fantastic news received today from one of my long-term clients, a 55 yr old male client with suspected Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) enrolled on my BRAINGCOG cognitive optimisation programme, with empirical evidence suggesting an improvement in episodic memory (delayed recall) – see results on the image below.
12th NOVEMBER 2024
At baseline, his Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test total score was 22/30 (cut-off 26/30), below normal for his age and education level which suggested Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), and early signs of neurodegenerative processes (e.g., early Alzheimer’s disease). Additionally his baseline Memory Index Score (MIS) of 6/15 was significantly low for his age and education level, strongly suggesting impaired memory recall, encoding, consolidation, or retrieval, especially episodic memory, which is commonly affected in (amnesic) early cognitive decline.
13th MAY 2025
After a personalised Nutritional and lifestyle programmes had been implemented for 6 months, his MOCA total score remained the same (22/30) and although the score suggested no overall global improvement, it does suggest no deterioration (very good news). However, his MIS improved significantly by nearly double (11/15) which suggested better encoding and/or retrieval of information into long-term memory and improved brain function, very likely due to the diet and lifestyle recommendations.
THE MOCA TEST
The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a peer-reviewed cognitive test commonly used in academia and clinical settings, widely recognised as a highly effective tool for detecting MCI, especially when compared to older tools like the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). MOCA has a sensitivity of ~90–96%, meaning it correctly identifies most people who do have MCI.
MEMORY INDEX SCORE
The MIS is designed to provide a more detailed and sensitive measure of episodic memory function, particularly for detecting MCI and early Alzheimer’s disease. It is derived from the Delayed Recall portion of the MOCA, where the subject is asked to recall 5 previously presented words after a short delay. This breakdown helps clinicians differentiate between true memory impairment and retrieval difficulty (e.g., due to attention or executive dysfunction).
CLINCIAL SIGNIFICANCE
These results evidences two things, 1) the importance of targeting memory impairment early on to avoid or reduce the risks of progression to Alzheimer’s disease or other neurodegenerative diseases, and 2) potentially evidences the efficacy of my BRAINCOG programme.
For more information on my BRAINCOG programme, please visit https://andrewfortuna.com/braincog/
