Feasibility and Psychometric Integrity of Mobile Phone-Based Intensive Measurement of Cognition in Older Adults

ABSTRACT

Background:There is a pressing need for assessment approaches that can be deployed remotely to measure cognitive outcomes in clinical trials and longitudinal aging cohorts. We evaluated the utility of a mobile phone-based intensive measurement study for this purpose. Method:A small cohort of healthy older adults (N = 17, mean age = 73) completed five assessment “bursts” over 12 months, with each measurement burst involving two assessments daily for five consecutive days. Each assessment included brief tests of visual short-term memory and information processing speed, as well as surveys measuring state factors that can affect cognition. Results:At study endpoint we had 94% retention, 97% compliance, and high participant satisfaction. Mobile cognitive test scores demonstrated good reliability, moderate correlations with in-person baseline neuropsychological testing, and significant associations with participant age and education level. Conclusions: Mobile phone-based intensive measurement designs represent a promising assessment approach for measuring cognition longitudinally in older adults.

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge Tomiko Yoneda, MSc, and Kaitlin Blackwood, BA for their contributions to data collection and preparation, as well as neuropsychological assessment and scoring. Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under award number 1U2CAG060408 and the Neil and Susan Manning Cognitive Health Initiative. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Disclosure statement

We have no known conflict of interest to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute on Aging [1U2CAG060408] and the Neil and Susan Manning Cognitive Health Initiative.