TUESDAY, Oct. 15, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Subtle cognitive changes in patients with subjective cognitive decline can be identified using smartphone data collected during a wayfinding task, according to a study published online Oct. 3 in PLOS Digital Health.
Jonas Marquardt, from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Magdeburg, and colleagues examined the differences in smartphone-assisted wayfinding behavior in a sample of patients with subjective cognitive decline who scored normally on neuropsychological assessments and cognitively healthy older and younger adults. Participants had to find locations along a short route on the medical campus of Magdeburg University, guided by a mobile application ("Explore").
The researchers found that performance measures that were extracted from GPS and user input data could differentiate between the groups. In older participants, the number of orientation stops was predictive of subjective cognitive decline status.
"With the rising adoption of smartphones and wearables in older age groups, data from mobile applications like the 'Explore' app could ultimately be used as a screening tool to stratify subjects with regard to the need of extended cognitive and clinical diagnostics," the authors write.
One author disclosed financial ties to neotiv GmbH.
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