Standardization of Neuropsychological Tests: A Study on the MoCA (8.1) and the GAB30

The research presented in this Ph.D. thesis concerns the standardization of two neuropsychological tests for the Italian population, with the objective of providing updated and demographically representative normative data. Reliable neuropsychological tests are essential for detecting cognitive impairment and supporting clinical decisions. Nonetheless, many tests lack norms that reflect current demographic and societal changes. The aim of this Ph.D. thesis is to address this gap by developing normative data that account for age, education, biological sex, and cognitive reserve. The first study was focused on the Italian standardization of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA 8.1) and its Memory Index Score (MoCA-MIS). Data were collected from a large, carefully stratified sample, and statistical models were applied to obtained standardized scores. Results showed that age and education significantly predicted the performance on the test, while biological sex had a more limited role. Cognitive reserve did not contribute significantly to normative adjustments. The second study was focused on the Italian standardization of the GAB30, a novel non-verbal test designed to assess fluid intelligence. The test was administered to a representative sample, and standardized scores were computed. As in the first study, age, education, and biological sex significantly predicted performance, whereas cognitive reserve did not show a significant predictive role. Correlational analyses with MoCA subdomains were also conducted to explore the cognitive processes underlying performance on GAB30. The results underscore the relevance of periodically updating normative data to ensure the diagnostic accuracy of neuropsychological tests. The limited role of cognitive reserve raises methodological and clinical considerations. All materials, procedures, and datasets have been made publicly available in accordance with open science principles, to support transparency, reproducibility, and applicability in clinical and research contexts. The standardized measures developed in this project offer valid tools for neuropsychological assessment within the Italian population.