A new U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study from McGill University has found that a novel online assessment can measure a senior’s ability to live independently. The study shows that the Freeze Frame assessment, available commercially in BrainHQ, was able to provide a comprehensive measurement of a brain’s executive function, which encompasses the cognitive processes involved in goal-directed behaviours essential to independent living.
The study shows that a novel online assessment provides a valid scientific measure of the cognitive abilities of older adults related to living independently. The self-administered assessment can be completed in four minutes on most internet-connected devices (phones, tablets, computers) — with large implications for monitoring and improving cognitive aging.
The assessment was developed by the firm Posit Science, the maker of BrainHQ brain training exercises and assessments.
“This is a game-changer in our ability to monitor and manage successful aging,” observes Dr. Henry Mahncke, CEO of Posit Science.
In a statement sent to Digital Journal, Mahncke says: “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 a very short, self-administered, online test could provide a quick look at the “executive function” cognitive abilities of older adults. Executive function includes key cognitive building blocks (such as planning, flexibility, and inhibitory control), which underpin the goal-directed behaviours needed to maintain independent living.
The study, conducted at McGill University, was designed to assess the usability and validity of Freeze Frame in predicting executive function performance in healthy older adults. Performance on Freeze Frame was analysed 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 inhibitory control (a critical component of executive function), which is the rapid ability to suppress impulsive reactions in favour of task-relevant actions in rapidly changing environments — to support cognitive flexibility, working memory, and goal focus.
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.