Early Detection of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in an At-Home Setting

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Emerging digital tools have the potential to enable a new generation of qualitative and quantitative assessment of cognitive performance. Moreover, the ubiquity of consumer electronics, such as smartphones and tablets, can be harnessed to support large-scale self-assessed cognitive screening with benefit to healthcare systems and consumers. A wide variety of apps, wearables, and new digital technologies are either available or in development for the detection of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a risk factor for dementia. Two categories of novel methodologies may be considered: passive technologies (which monitor a user’ behavior without active user input) and interactive assessments (which require active user input). Such examinations can be self-administered, supervised by a caregiver, or conducted by an informant at home or outside of a clinical setting. These direct-to-consumer tools have the potential to sidestep barriers associated with cognitive evaluation in primary care, thus improving access to cognitive assessments. Although direct-to-consumer cognitive assessment is associated with its own barriers, including test validation, user experience, and technological concerns, it is conceivable that these issues can be addressed so that a large-scale, selfassessed cognitive evaluation that would represent an initial cognitive screen may be feasible in the future.

Publication Date

3-1-2020

Publication Title

Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease

ISSN

22745807

E-ISSN

24260266

Volume

7

Issue

3

First Page

171

Last Page

178

PubMed ID

32463070

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.14283/jpad.2020.22

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS