self-administered computerized test intended for longitudinal cognitive monitoring. BoCA uses random never repeating tasks to minimize learning effects. BoCA was developed to evaluate the effects of treatment in longitudinal clinical trials and available gratis to individuals and professionals.
BoCA evaluates eight cognitive domains. BoCA uses randomly-selected not-repeating tasks to minimize practice effects. The maximum total score is 30. Higher score indicates better cognitive performance.
The names of 5 animals are announced verbally. After a short pause, 10 buttons are displayed indicating the names of the 5 announced animals and 11 other random animals. The participant is expected to select the 5 announced animals. This subtest includes three attempts scored as follows: all five animals selected correctly on the 1st attempt: 2 points; all five animals selected correctly on the 2nd attempt: 1 point; otherwise zero points.
Questions are announced verbally and the participant is expected to select the answer by pressing a picture on the screen.
The participant is expected to select the object, that, when rotated, is identical to the object on top.
The participant is expected to calculate the time difference between the two clocks.
The participant is instructed to click the announced digits in forward and backward order.
The participant performs mental math by adding or subtracting two numbers.
The participant is expected to select today’s month, year, and day of the week.
The participant is expected to select the five animals named at the beginning of the test. The score equals to the number of correctly named animals.
BoCA has been validated in multiple studies. In one study, participants with cognitive disorders scored significantly lower in both the BoCA and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) Test for Dementia compared to normal controls. In another study, participants with cognitive disorders scored significantly lower in both the BoCA and Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS) compared to normal controls. Correlational analyses revealed strong correlation between BoCA and Montreal Cognitive Assessment ( =0.85, p<0.01) and strong correlation with the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (r = 0.80, p < 0.01). BoCA showed strong test-retest reliability of the total BoCA score one week after participants’ initial administration (r=0.89, p<0.001).
Longitudinal monitoring is essential for testing novel interventions designed to reduce or reverse
cognitive aging. BoCA is an invaluable tool for long-term cognitive monitoring. BoCA is an online
instrument which evaluates global cognition through the completion of tasks spanning eight domains
commonly included on other familiar screening instruments of global cognition (e.g., wordlist learning
and delayed recall, repeating numerical sequences forward and backward, executive functioning, mental
arithmetic, visuospatial reasoning, language and orientation).
BoCA uses randomly generated,
non-repeating stimuli when assessing each domain, thereby enhancing its utility for serial assessment
and long-term monitoring of cognitive status.
BoCA has the unique advantages of being automatically scored and utilizing random and non-repeating stimuli to reduce the risks of practice effects, which may be especially beneficial for patients or research projects where cognitive tracking is required.
BoCA is currently utilized in several clinical trials studying the effect of cognitive intervention, pharmaceutical treatment for Alzheimer’s disease,
COVID fog, researching the effect of anesthesia and preoperative treatment, long-term effect of cancer drugs, as well several observational studies of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
BoCA is royalty free. Please email us if you are interested in using BoCA in your clinical studies.
Many health care providers administering cognitive testing are using the MOCA or MMSE, but not getting
paid for their work. BoCA provides rapid, mobile cognitive assessments and personalized cognitive care
planning that are reimbursable. Clinical practices can use BoCA and reimburse for CPT 96138, CPT 96132,
and CPT 99483 for cognitive assessment administration and interpretation. Practices may also consider
CPT 96116 as an alternative telehealth CPT codes for cognitive testing. The BoCA test, combined with a
few additional questions, can meet the requirements for CPT 96116.
Many treatable conditions such as sleep disorders, mood problems, heavy metal accumulation, as well
as lack of movement and social interactions can affect memory and thinking . Longitudinal monitoring
of cognitive health can help clinicians assess if an underlying condition is causing cognitive
decline and guide timely therapeutic interventions. Standard cognitive assessments are not suited
for monthly cognitive evaluations. First, they ubiquitously rely on trained professionals. While
this approach has a high sensitivity and specificity for the detection of dementia, it is time and
resource consuming. Second, the number of variations of standard tests is often limited resulting in
strong practice effects. BoCA can be performed at home using randomly-selected non-repeating tasks
to minimize practice effects.
Many treatable conditions such as sleep disorders, mood problems, heavy metal accumulation, as well
as lack of movement and social interactions can affect memory and thinking. Longitudinal monitoring
of cognitive health can help you assess if an underlying condition is causing cognitive decline and
guide timely therapeutic interventions.
The Boston Cognitive Assessment (BoCA) is a self-administered and assisted online test intended for
longitudinal cognitive monitoring. BoCA uses random never repeating tasks to minimize learning
effects.
BoCA can be taken at the comfort of your home. It eliminates an extra visit to a psychometrician and
saves about $300 usually not covered by insurance.
We recommend completing the test weekly, on the same day of the week, at the same time. After BoCA is
completed, the domain scores and total score are provided immediately. Users will also receive an
email with the link to the full report with progress charts.
BoCa has found a new home at BellCurveAndMe along with a growing variety of assessments and cognitive activities. Please visit the new site to get additional information, try out the assessment and contact us.