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Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol: What makes an HCAP an HCAP? An adaptive architecture for measuring cognitive aging around the world
Alden L. Gross, Sneha Mani, David R. Weir, Emily M. Briceño, Miguel Arce Rentería, Emma L. Nichols, Richard Norman Jones, Jennifer Manly et al.. The Journals of Gerontology Series B, 2025-10-18
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
To balance high-quality measurement of cognitive domains and maintain the ability to perform meaningful cross-national comparisons, each HCAP should include a common set of at least three to four continuously distributed test items per domain that can link domains across studies. We present candidate tests and offer recommendations for domains of memory, executive functioning, language, visuospatial ability, and orientation. We discuss considerations for HCAP studies regarding appropriate sampling, test battery length of at least one hour, interviewer training, and missing data handling. We advocate for the HCAP as a structured yet adaptable framework that prioritizes measurement precision and cultural relevance, while retaining sufficient uniformity to conduct statistical harmonization across settings. What makes an HCAP an HCAP is not a strict checklist of tests, but a commitment to rigorous, culturally respectful measurement of cognitive health in older adults around the world.
Key findings
- To balance high-quality measurement of cognitive domains and maintain the ability to perform meaningful cross-national comparisons, each HCAP should include a common set of at least three to four continuously distributed test items per domain that can link domains across studies.
- We present candidate tests and offer recommendations for domains of memory, executive functioning, language, visuospatial ability, and orientation.
- We discuss considerations for HCAP studies regarding appropriate sampling, test battery length of at least one hour, interviewer training, and missing data handling.
- We advocate for the HCAP as a structured yet adaptable framework that prioritizes measurement precision and cultural relevance, while retaining sufficient uniformity to conduct statistical harmonization across settings.
- What makes an HCAP an HCAP is not a strict checklist of tests, but a commitment to rigorous, culturally respectful measurement of cognitive health in older adults around the world.
Why it matters
This paper recommends that Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol studies include a common set of at least three to four continuously distributed test items per cognitive domain to enable cross-national comparisons. It advocates for a structured yet adaptable framework that prioritizes measurement precision and cultural relevance.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 43/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The Journals of Gerontology Series B) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | The Journals of Gerontology Series B: journal h-index 225 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 2 / 7 | Cited 7 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 2.3 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 7 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Lindsay C. Kobayashi: h-index 39 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Johns Hopkins University: institution h-index 2,306 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 3 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 11 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41128510) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 43 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbaf202
- PubMed: 41128510
- Original source →
- Free full text: The Journals of Gerontology Series B →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Gross, A. L., Mani, S., Weir, D. R., Briceño, E. M., Rentería, M. A., Nichols, E. L., et al. (2025). Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol: What makes an HCAP an HCAP? An adaptive architecture for measuring cognitive aging around the world. The Journals of Gerontology Series B. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaf202
Vancouver
Gross AL, Mani S, Weir DR, Briceño EM, Rentería MA, Nichols EL, et al. Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol: What makes an HCAP an HCAP? An adaptive architecture for measuring cognitive aging around the world. The Journals of Gerontology Series B. 2025. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbaf202. PMID: 41128510.
BibTeX
@article{gross2025-41128510,
author = {Gross, Alden L. and Mani, Sneha and Weir, David R. and Briceño, Emily M. and Rentería, Miguel Arce and Nichols, Emma L. and Jones, Richard Norman and Manly, Jennifer and others},
title = {{Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol: What makes an HCAP an HCAP? An adaptive architecture for measuring cognitive aging around the world}},
journal = {The Journals of Gerontology Series B},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1093/geronb/gbaf202},
pmid = {41128510},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaf202}
}
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