A new study shows that a novel online assessment provides a valid scientific measure of the cognitive abilities of older adults related to maintaining independent living. The self-administered, online assessment can be completed in four minutes — with large implications for monitoring and improving aging. The assessment was developed by Posit Science, the maker of BrainHQ brain training exercises and assessments, and it was examined as part of an NIH-funded study in collaboration with university-based researchers.
“This is a game-changer in our ability to monitor and manage successful aging,” observed Dr. Henry Mahncke, CEO of Posit Science. “Maintaining the ability to live independently is one of the greatest concerns about growing older, yet it’s rarely measured because of a lack of easily accessible tools. It can take a long time to schedule an office visit for a full battery of neuropsychological tests, and few people do so. Now, here’s a new tool you could use as a brain fitness tracker — to permit ongoing monitoring.”
The study examined whether the quick test could provide a sufficient look at the “executive function” cognitive abilities of older adults (such as planning, flexibility, and impulse control) which support the goal-directed behaviors needed to maintain independent living.
“Clinician-administered batteries of cognition are the preferred source for insight into cognitive aging — especially to assist with diagnostic decisions,” said Dr. Mahncke. “We were looking for a brief, self-administered assessment that might be used, after an in-person examination (as it was in this study), for relatively quick, and perhaps more frequent, monitoring purposes.”
The study, conducted at McGill University, was designed to assess the usability and validity of Freeze Frame, a cognitive assessment available on the BrainHQ platform. Performance on Freeze Frame was analyzed in relation to self-reported demographic variables and to neuropsychological function, using NIH-EXAMINER, a widely adopted measure of executive function.
Freeze Frame is designed to measure the rapid ability to suppress impulsive reactions in favor of task-relevant actions in rapidly changing environments — to support they type of focus on goal completion needed to live independently.
In the Freeze Frame task, participants are presented a target image at the start of a block of trials, in which a rapid (often split-second) stream of targets and foils are presented. Participants withhold any response when presented with a target, and they enter a rapid response to each foil. Each block dynamically adjusts to become harder or easier depending on the participant’s performance, and to pinpoint an overall score.
The study enrolled 92 healthy older adults (aged 65-83, average age 72). The study found that the Freeze Frame assessment significantly associated and positively correlated with the NIH EXAMINER executive function composite score.
Because cognitive performance generally declines with age, and because women tend to exhibit slightly better executive function, the assessment (as expected) showed a small but statistically significant relationship to age and gender, but no such association with years of education. A psychometric evaluation supported its usability, with an average completion time of 4 minutes.
“We’ve been building and testing assessments for several years to provide more cognitive performance data to enable ongoing monitoring,” Dr. Mahncke added. “The beauty here is each assessment ties directly to our brain exercises, which have been shown to improve both cognitive function and performance of everyday tasks. This creates a path for monitoring and maintaining independent living.”
Want to take the assessment for yourself? Visit the BrainHQ Freeze Frame assessment page to learn more and to try it for free!
