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Mobile technologies in the early detection of cognitive decline
Allard M, Husky M, Catheline G, Pelletier A, Dilharreguy B, Amieva H, Pérès K, Foubert-Samier A et al.. PloS one, 2014-12-23
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
The identification of biological and pathophysiological processes implicated in different forms of dementia is itself dependent on reliable descriptions of cognitive performance and capacities. However, traditional instruments are often unable to detect subtle declines in cognitive functions due to natural variation at the time of testing. Mobile technologies permit the repeated assessment of cognitive functions and may thereby provide more reliable descriptions of early cognitive difficulties that are inaccessible to clinic or hospital-based instruments. This assessment strategy is also able to characterize in real-time the dynamic associations between cognitive performance and specific daily life behaviors or activities. In a cohort of elderly rural residents, 60 individuals were administered neuropsychological and neuroimaging exams as well as a one-week period of electronic ambulatory monitoring of behavior, semantic memory performance, and daily life experiences. Whereas imaging markers were unrelated to traditional neuropsychological test scores, they were significantly associated with mobile assessments of semantic memory performance. Moreover, certain daily life activities such as reading or completing crossword puzzles were associated with increases in semantic memory performance over the subsequent hours of the same day. The revolution in mobile technologies provides unprecedented opportunities to overcome the barriers of time and context that characterize traditional hospital and clinical-based assessments. The combination of both novel and traditional methods should provide the best opportunity for identifying the earliest risk factors and biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
Key findings
- Whereas imaging markers were unrelated to traditional neuropsychological test scores, they were significantly associated with mobile assessments of semantic memory performance.
- Moreover, certain daily life activities such as reading or completing crossword puzzles were associated with increases in semantic memory performance over the subsequent hours of the same day.
Why it matters
In 60 elderly rural residents, imaging markers were significantly associated with mobile assessments of semantic memory performance but not with traditional neuropsychological test scores, and activities such as reading or crossword puzzles were linked to later same-day increases in semantic memory performance. This is an early, small study about detection and daily measurement, not about treating, curing, or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Participants60
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 55/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (PloS one) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | PLoS ONE: journal h-index 594 (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 | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2014 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 60 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 110 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 7.9 citations a year over 14 year(s) since 2014 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.5× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 5 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 28 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Joel David Swendsen: h-index 62 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique: institution h-index 2,511 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 25536290) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 55 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
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
Allard, M., Husky, M., Catheline, G., Pelletier, A., Dilharreguy, B., Amieva, H., et al. (2014). Mobile technologies in the early detection of cognitive decline. PloS one. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0112197
Vancouver
Allard M, Husky M, Catheline G, Pelletier A, Dilharreguy B, Amieva H, et al. Mobile technologies in the early detection of cognitive decline. PloS one. 2014. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0112197. PMID: 25536290.
BibTeX
@article{allard2014-25536290,
author = {Allard, M. and Husky, M. and Catheline, G. and Pelletier, A. and Dilharreguy, B. and Amieva, H. and Pérès, K. and Foubert-Samier, A. and others},
title = {{Mobile technologies in the early detection of cognitive decline}},
journal = {PloS one},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0112197},
pmid = {25536290},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0112197}
}
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