This observational study will enroll approximately 100 participants evenly split by cognitive status (Cognitively Impaired vs Non-Cognitively Impaired), and involves four clinic visits over one year (at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months), each followed by 7 days of remote monitoring to assess the long-term feasibility of PAMSys+ (Physical Activity Monitoring System).
Understanding someone's language abilities through analyzing their speech using digital tools can be a new, relevant way to find early signs of dementia. Past research shows that changes in a person's speech can accurately reflect the severity of dementia and could even predict cognitive decline before a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is made. Clinical trials have shown that changes in speech can be more noticeable than using traditional screening methods, like the MMSE. Moreover, recent findings suggest that speech changes related to cognitive decline over time aren't influenced by practice or learning effects. Separately, our own research has found that observing people while they're doing two things at once, like walking and talking (known as dual-tasking), can help identify people with mild cognitive impairment, which is an early stage of AD. So, with the support of the studies mentioned above, the goal of this study is to better detect early signs of dementia using everyday behaviors, such as dual-task activities and speech patterns, like how long a person talks while walk at the same time. Investigators intend to create a cheap, simple-to-use pendant device that tracks these behaviors, allowing us to predict small changes in cognitive and motor functions over time. This is an observational, minimally invasive study. There are four clinic visits (baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months) each followed by 7 days of monitoring. Research staff will supervise tests for all assessments to minimize the risk associated tests such as gait and balance assessments. All in-clinic visits will be conducted at UCLA Health sites.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
100
UCLA Center for Advanced Surgical & Interventional Technology (CASIT)
Los Angeles, California, United States
Dual Task physical activities changes from Baseline to 12 months
Changes in Dual Task physical activities such as gait duration, frequency, cadence, and step variability. Likewise, speech phenotypes such as speech duration, rate, and pause during Dual Task as measured by PAMSys+
Time frame: 12 months
Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)
This is a brief global cognitive screening assessment. Scores range from 0 to 30 where 0 represents a worse outcome.
Time frame: 12 months
Gait performance
At each site visits participants will wear LEGSys wearable sensors to collect 15-meter walk at habitual speed, fast speed, and dual task walking (walking while counting backward) The stride velocity unit is m/s.
Time frame: 12 months
Mobility performance
Mobility performance will be collected for duration of one week at each study visit using PAMSys+ to collect: posture duration (e.g., sitting, lying, standing, and walking), daily walking performance (e.g., step count, walking bout count), and postural transition (e.g., total number of sit-to-stand transition, average duration of sit-to-stand postural transition)
Time frame: 12 months
Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL)
The Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) Scale is an 8-item questionnaire that evaluates an individual's ability to live independently. The questionnaire is scored from 0 to 8, where 0 represents a worse outcome.
Time frame: 12 months
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