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Can a cell phone application be used to assess brain health in older individuals in Latin America?
Maria Sol Fittipaldi, Ph.D.
Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez
Santiago, Chile
Background
In low- and middle-income countries, cognitive impairment is often accepted as part of normal aging. This can lead to older individuals with dementia remaining undiagnosed or diagnosed at later stages. As the population of adults aged 60 years and older begins to rise in Latin America, there is a need to develop appropriate screening tools that could be used to identify individuals with early dementia in this region. Studies have shown that standardized cognitive tests to diagnose dementia often do not consider the cultural and language needs across different cultures. Further, these tests are often expensive, invasive, and not widely available in low- and middle-income countries.
Dr. Maria Fittipaldi and colleagues propose a pilot study using Neureka, a cell phone application that will assess brain health in older persons living in Latin America.
Research Plan
For their study, Dr. Fittipaldi and colleagues will first translate the Neureka application into Spanish and culturally validate the Spanish version in 40 Spanish-speaking cognitively unimpaired adults. Next, the researchers will validate the application's ability to assess brain health by comparing Neureka game results to standard cognitive tests in 100 older Spanish-speaking adults. Lastly, the team will examine whether demographic and modifiable dementia risk factors, such as income, education, diet, and exercise, can predict game performance and cognitive function between older adults in high-income and low- and middle-income countries.
Impact
If successful, this pilot project could develop a new culturally appropriate and cost-effective screening tool for dementia in Latin America.
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