OCS-Plus

OCS-Plus

OCS-Plus is a free and easy to administer domain-general cognitive impairment screening tool developed by the Translational Neuropsychology Research Group at the University of Oxford. The tool has been standardised, normed and validated in healthy ageing. The tool is currently undergoing further research for validity of use in specific clinical groups. OCS-plus was designed to investigate domain-general cognitive impairments, with a specific focus on memory and executive attention. The tool contains multiple easy to administer tests and instructions are provided for each test. 
The tool is not for self-assessment. Instead, a health professional assessor administers the screen to respondents to investigate domain-general cognitive impairments, with a specific focus on memory and executive attention. The tool contains multiple easy to administer tests and instructions are provided for each test.
See more on the OCS materials and how to register to activate the app here

Background

The OCS-Plus was developed as an elaboration of the domain specific OCS, to detect more subtle cognitive changes, which may otherwise be missed. The OCS-Plus was conceived as a computerised tablet-based screen of finer-grained tests of domain-general cognition, including various aspects of memory and executive attention.

The aim of OCS-Plus was to sensitively pick up on domain general impairments in healthy ageing, mild cognitive impairment and vascular dementia, without undue loading of language requirements. The OCS-Plus specifically allows differentiation of memory and non-memory impairments.

OCS plus was normed and validated in healthy ageing cohorts in the UK and Germany (Demeyere et al 2021) and has been used in epidemiological research in low-literacy settings (e.g. Humphreys et al 2017).

The OCS-Plus was recently validated for use in stroke (Webb et al, 2022).

 

 

Key Publications

Demeyere, N., Haupt, M., Webb, S. S., Strobel, L., Milosevich, E., Moore, M. J., Wright, H., Finke, K., & Duta, M. (2021). Introducing the tablet-based Oxford Cognitive Screen-Plus (OCS-Plus) as an assessment tool for subtle cognitive impairments. Scientific Reports.

 

Webb SS, Hobden G, Roberts R, Chiu EG, King S, Demeyere N. Validation of the UK English Oxford cognitive screen-plus in sub-acute and chronic stroke survivors. European Stroke Journal. 2022 Aug 19;23969873221119940.

 

Farrell, M. T., Kobayashi, L. C., Montana, L., Wagner, R. G., Demeyere, N., & Berkman, L.. (2020). Education disparity only partially explains cognitive gender differences in older rural south africans. The journals of gerontology: series b.

 

Humphreys, G. W., Duta, M. D., Montana, L., Demeyere, N., McCrory, C., Rohr, J., Kahn, K., Tollman, S., & Berkman, L.. (2017). Cognitive function in low-income and low-literacy settings: validation of the tablet-based oxford cognitive screen in the health and aging in africa: a longitudinal study of an indepth community in south africa (haalsi). The journals of gerontology: series b, 72(1), 38–50.