AI’s recent article entitled “Biogen will use Apple Watch to study symptoms of dementia,” says that this study will last for multiple years, and will launch later this year. People from a wide gamut of ages and cognitive performance levels will be asked to take part by Biogen.
They hope to find out if wearable devices like the Apple Watch could be used for long-term cognitive performance monitoring.
The ultimate objective is to develop digital biomarkers for cognitive performance monitoring over time, which may help identify early signs of mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
There are now serious delays in recognizing declines in cognitive health. This impacts about 15 to 20% of adults over the age of 65. The subtle onset of symptoms, including being easily distracted and memory loss, may take months or even years before it is observed as a cognitive decline by healthcare providers.
“The successful development of digital biomarkers in brain health would help address the significant need to accelerate patient diagnoses and empower physicians and individuals to take timely action,” said Biogen CEO Michel Vounatsos. “For healthcare systems, such advancements in cognitive biomarkers from large-scale studies could contribute significantly to prevention and better population-based health outcomes, and lower costs to health systems.”
Apple believes that this study “can help the medical community better understand a person’s cognitive performance, by simply having them engage with their Apple Watch and iPhone,” said Apple COO Jeff Williams. “We’re looking forward to learning about the impact our technology can have in delivering better health outcomes through improved detection of declining cognitive health,” he said.
The Apple Watch has been used for a number of health studies in the past, which are done with the research app. There have been studies to detect heart issues before they become an issue, as well as a hearing study monitoring ambient sound volumes, and activity and movement.
The dementia study is designed to ensure consumer privacy, control and transparency. It will emphasize data security.
The participants must complete a detailed consent from listing the collected data types and how they are used and shared before taking part. They can withdraw at any time.
Reference: AI (Jan. 11, 2021) “Biogen will use Apple Watch to study symptoms of dementia”
