Evaluation of Vascular Cognitive Impairment Using the ICMR-Neuro Cognitive Tool Box (ICMR-NCTB) in a Stroke Cohort from India.

Background And Purpose: Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) presents with a spectrum of cognitive impairment due to stroke and poses a huge socioeconomic burden especially in low middle-income countries. There is a critical need for early recognition and identification of VCI patients. Therefore, we developed and validated culturally appropriate neuropsychological instruments, the ICMR-Neuro Cognitive Tool-Box (ICMR-NCTB) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) to diagnose vascular MCI and dementia in the Indian context.

Methods: A total of 181 participants: 59 normal cognition, 25 stroke with normal cognition, 46 vascular MCI (VaMCI) and 51 vascular dementia (VaD) were recruited for the study. The ICMR-NCTB and MoCA were administered to patients with VCI and major cognitive domains were evaluated.

Results: The ICMR-NCTB was found to have good internal reliability in VaMCI and VaD. The sensitivity of the ICMR-NCTB to detect VaMCI and VaD ranged from 70.8% to 72.9% and 75.9% to 79.7%, respectively, and the specificity for VaMCI and VaD ranged from 84.8% to 86.1% and 82.5% to 85.2%, respectively. The MoCA had excellent sensitivity and specificity to detect VaMCI and VaD at ideal cut-off scores.

Conclusion: The ICMR-NCTB is a valid neuropsychological toolbox that can be used for comprehensive cognitive assessment and diagnosis of VCI in India. In addition, the Indian version of MoCA is more adept as a screening instrument to detect VCI due to its high sensitivity. The ICMR-NCTB will aid in early detection and management of many patients, thereby reducing the burden of vascular MCI and dementia in India.