The MoCA is designed to assist with the detection of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and has a sensitivity of 90% and 100% in detecting MCI and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), respectively. One screening tool frequently used in both clinical practice and research, is the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). An initial step will be to determine whether currently used cognitive screening measures can differentiate cognitive changes associated with important aspects of the pain experience in this vulnerable population. Given our growing aging population and the well-documented declines in cognitive function that occur with age, it is important to concurrently assess pain and cognitive function among older adults. Although chronic pain affects individuals of all ages, its prevalence and impact are greater in older individuals. Indeed, individuals with chronic pain frequently report cognitive issues that interfere with daily functioning, and individuals with cognitive impairment are more likely to underreport their painful symptoms and be at greater risk for undertreatment of their pain. Alternatively, cognitive impairment may be a contributor to chronic pain, not just a consequence of it. Moriarty and colleagues proposed numerous ways in which chronic pain itself may induce cognitive impairment, including overloading of attentional resources. Previous work has shown that cognitive processes can influence pain and that pain, in turn, can interfere with cognitive processes in both healthy individuals and individuals with chronic pain. The management of chronic pain is challenging, in part, because it is a multidimensional phenomenon which involves complex and poorly understood neurocognitive mechanisms. Chronic pain affects as many as over 100 million Americans and costs the United States over $635 billion dollars each year.
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