Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Mar 11;6(3):e23589.
doi: 10.2196/23589.

CoGNIT Automated Tablet Computer Cognitive Testing in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment: Feasibility Study

Anders Behrens  1 , Johan Sanmartin Berglund  1 , Peter Anderberg  1
Affiliations

CoGNIT Automated Tablet Computer Cognitive Testing in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment: Feasibility Study

Anders Behrens et al. JMIR Form Res. .

Abstract

Background: Early diagnosis of cognitive disorders is becoming increasingly important. Limited resources for specialist assessment and an increasing demographical challenge warrants the need for efficient methods of evaluation. In response, CoGNIT, a tablet app for automatic, standardized, and efficient assessment of cognitive function, was developed. Included tests span the cognitive domains regarded as important for assessment in a general memory clinic (memory, language, psychomotor speed, executive function, attention, visuospatial ability, manual dexterity, and symptoms of depression).

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of automatic cognitive testing with CoGNIT in older patients with symptoms of mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods: Patients older than 55 years with symptoms of MCI (n=36) were recruited at the research clinic at the Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH), Karlskrona, Sweden. A research nurse administered the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) and the CoGNIT app on a tablet computer. Technical and testing issues were documented.

Results: The test battery was completed by all 36 patients. One test, the four-finger-tapping test, was performed incorrectly by 42% of the patients. Issues regarding clarity of instructions were found in 2 tests (block design test and the one finger-tapping test). Minor software bugs were identified.

Conclusions: The overall feasibility of automatic cognitive testing with the CoGNIT app in patients with symptoms of MCI was good. The study highlighted tests that did not function optimally. The four-finger-tapping test will be discarded, and minor improvements to the software will be added before further studies and deployment in the clinic.

Keywords: app; assessment; cognition; cognitive impairment; cognitive testing; diagnosis; feasibility; impairment; internet; software; testing.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

References

    1. Korsnes MS, Winkler AS. Global, regional, and national burden of dementia, 1990-2016: Predictions need local calibration. Neurology. 2020 Apr 21;94(16):718–719. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000009301.WNL.0000000000009301 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Foster NL, Bondi MW, Das R, Foss M, Hershey LA, Koh S, Logan R, Poole C, Shega JW, Sood A, Thothala N, Wicklund M, Yu M, Bennett A, Wang D. Quality improvement in neurology: Mild cognitive impairment quality measurement set. Neurology. 2019 Oct 15;93(16):705–713. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000008259.WNL.0000000000008259 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Palmqvist S, Hertze J, Minthon L, Wattmo C, Zetterberg H, Blennow K, Londos E, Hansson O. Comparison of brief cognitive tests and CSF biomarkers in predicting Alzheimer's disease in mild cognitive impairment: six-year follow-up study. PLoS One. 2012;7(6):e38639. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0038639. https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0038639 PONE-D-12-04728 - DOI - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Overton M, Pihlsgård M, Elmståhl S. Diagnostic stability of mild cognitive impairment, and predictors of reversion to normal cognitive functioning. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2019;48(5-6):317–329. doi: 10.1159/000506255. https://www.karger.com?DOI=10.1159/000506255 000506255 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Folstein MF, Folstein SE, McHugh PR. "Mini-mental state". A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. J Psychiatr Res. 1975 Nov;12(3):189–98. doi: 10.1016/0022-3956(75)90026-6.0022-3956(75)90026-6 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources