2.1.3. Assessment of Neuropsychological Status

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA) was used to assess patient cognitive function [31]. There were seven cognitive domains: visuospatial and executive function, naming, delayed recall, attention, language, abstraction, and orientation. A total score of less than 26 was considered as cognitive impairment.

The Clinical Dementia Assessment Scale (CDR) was used to provide a global evaluation of the severity of dementia [32]. A CDR score of 1 was classified as mild, 2 as moderate, and 3 as severe. The Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) was used to assess the extent and progress of dementia [33], which provides an overview of a patient who has degenerative dementia. The GDS scale was divided into seven levels and was completed by interviewing the patients and their caregivers. A GDS score of 1 indicates no cognitive impairment; 2 indicates a very mild cognitive impairment, 3 as mild, 4 as moderate, 5 as severe, 6 as very severe, and 7 as worst impairment.

The 24-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD-24) was utilized to assess patient depressive symptoms [34]. In the HRSD-24 version, a total score of 8 or less was classified as no depression, 9–20 as suspicious depression, 21–35 as moderate or mild depression, and above 35 as severe depression.

The Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) was used to evaluate patient anxiety, and there were 14 items on this scale [35]. The scale adopts a 5-point scoring method ranging from 0 to 4 points. A total score less than 7 indicated no anxiety, 7–13 was classified as possible anxiety, 14–20 was anxiety, 21–28 was classified as significant anxiety, above 29 was classified as severe anxiety.