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Older woman using smartphone
Project
Project Type - Pilot Projects

Computerized Cognitive Tests for Individuals at Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease

Using remote testing to identify risk of Alzheimer's disease

Overview

The preclinical stage of Alzheimer’s disease—in which the manifestation of the disease begins up to 20 years before any symptom becomes apparent—can be detected by biomarkers. However, even in this relatively “silent” stage, many individuals experience a subtle decline in cognition. The goal of this project is to study the relation between remote cognitive measures and in-person paper-and-pencil cognitive testing, and its performance as a function of core AD biomarkers.

Project Details

It is crucial to develop cognitive measures sensitive to the earliest AD changes, particularly in the preclinical stage. In this context, remote cognitive testing has shown the potential to improve sensitivity compared with traditional neuropsychological testing.

In this project, 420 cognitively unimpaired participants (aged 48–75 years) from the longitudinal ALFA+ study of BarcelonaBeta Brain Research Center will receive an at-home computerized cognitive assessment. From different scores, a cognitive composite, called FLAME, will be computed in order to assess their relationship with a composite from in-person cognitive tests. Lastly, it will be explored the association between the FLAME and core AD biomarkers. This project will contribute to providing empirical evidence of the efficacy of a remote computerized cognitive composite for the identification of cognitively unimpaired individuals at risk of AD. Furthermore, the results will allow us to do a step forward to promote equity in getting access to cognitive assessments and to reduce disparities in dementia prevention.