The doctor who invented one of the most popular mental cognitive assessments told The Post on Tuesday that it may be a good idea for older politicians to take his test, after he was asked about President Biden.
Canadian neurologist Dr. Ziad Nasreddine, who developed the famous Montreal Cognitive Assessment, sidestepped politics and declined to comment directly on the 81-year-old Biden.
But when asked about growing public calls for Biden and former President Donald Trump, 77, to get tested, he responded: “It’s good that we test for cognition the moment there is any suspicion about cognitive function.
“If the test gives normal results, the probability of deterioration is very low. Then everyone calms down knowing that maybe this is just normal aging, that we can all be forgetful and make mistakes. But that doesn’t mean significant cognitive impairment is occurring,” she said.
Speculation and questions about Biden’s mental acuity have reached a fever pitch after a series of public lapses, and last week’s explosive report from special counsel Robert Hur that strongly suggested Biden has “diminished faculties” and is a “Well-intentioned old man with a poor memory.”
President Biden has touted his accomplishments in office as proof that he is mentally fit to lead the nation. fake images
Nasreddine warned that “it is extremely difficult to tell from just a conversation whether there is significant deterioration.”
He spent just under a decade developing the MoCA test as a faster, cheaper alternative to extensive neuropsychological battery tests lasting approximately three to five hours.
Their test features 30 questions administered in 10 minutes and instructs patients to identify animals and copy a picture of a cube, among other challenges.
Montreal Cognitive Assessment Questions
The Montreal Cognitive Assessment is a popular oral and visual test for mental aptitude. It tests short-term memory, attention span, and executive function for approximately 10 minutes. Questions include:
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For example, one section of the test involves reading a list of words to the subject, who is then instructed to re-list them.
Another typical question instructs the subject to “name the maximum number of words in one minute that begin with” a given letter, such as “S.”
The Montreal Cognitive Assessment is one of the most popular assessments of its kind. mocacognition.com
Trump conducted that exam in 2018 under the direction of then-White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson, who is now a Republican congressman.
The 77-year-old former president occasionally boasts about his performance in the MoCA exam.
“There’s only about 2% in this room that can do it, but I did it. I did it very easily,” Trump boasted at an event in Las Vegas late last month.
“But they made fun of me; They said, ‘Oh, that’s very easy.’ Is not easy. Is not easy. He goes home and tries to do it.”
Donald Trump has been very proud of his performance in the test. fake images
Nasreddine maintained that obtaining a perfect score on that test is not an easy task.
“The main mistake [is] People say this is a kindergarten test because it looks simple. But it’s not that simple. I mean almost only 10% of the population can get 30 out of 30,” she said.
Recently, Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley began handing out copies of the test, provoking both Trump and Biden to take it.
Nasreddine said: “She is not supposed to do that.
Nikki Haley wants politicians over 75 to undergo mental competency tests. AP
“It is not supposed to be administered or self-administered,” he emphasized of the test, noting that a doctor must supervise the exam and that in its place there is a MoCA Xpresso assessment for the general public to use.
Biden insists that his “memory is fine,” and his lawyer, Bob Bauer, who was present during the five-hour interview with Hur last October, disputed the special counsel’s characterizations of the sit-in.
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“Joe is 81 years old, that’s true, but he is 81 years old and he does more in an hour than most people do in a day,” first lady Jill Biden also argued in a recent message to her followers. “His age, with his experience and knowledge, is an incredible asset and he shows it every day.”
The White House is currently mulling its options on whether to push for the release of sections of the Hur-Biden transcript.
Canadian neurologist Dr. Ziad Nasreddine spent years developing the test. mocacognition.com
Questions about Biden’s age have long dogged him. He is already the oldest president in the history of the United States and would be 86 years old after a hypothetical second term.
In an ABC News/Ipsos poll released Sunday, a staggering 86% of American adults believe Biden is too old to complete another term.
If Trump wins and serves a full term, he will narrowly surpass Biden as the oldest commander in chief.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn