Researchers from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg used mobility data from a specially developed mobile phone app to identify people with a risk factor for dementia. In a study of 72 adults, a third of subjects suffered from subjective cognitive decline (SCD). People with this condition experience a loss of mental performance that cannot be detected using neurological tests. Although you do not necessarily develop dementia, you are at increased risk of it.
In the experiment, the participants were supposed to find several buildings on the campus of the University of Magdeburg that the app had previously shown them with a picture and the way to get there. People with SCD were more likely to stop than the comparison group and used the app’s help function more often. “We found that they tend to hesitate, especially at intersections. This suggests that certain decision-making processes have changed. However, the data is not yet conclusive,” explains neuroscientist Nadine Diersch, who works at the start-up “neotiv”. “Nevertheless, the results of our study are a promising proof of concept. They show that smartphone data can help detect subtle signs of cognitive decline in realistic contexts.”