Study Reveals Real-Time Self-Assessment of Cognitive Abilities in Older Adults Using Smartwatches

Recent research indicates that older adults can accurately self-assess their cognitive performance in real-time, using smartwatches to track their mental sharpness and mood, potentially aiding in earlier detection of cognitive decline.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have published a groundbreaking study in the journal Neuropsychology, demonstrating that older adults’ self-assessments of cognitive performance closely align with actual performance on cognitive tasks. The findings suggest that real-time self-evaluation could serve as a tool for early detection of cognitive decline, including conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.

The study involved 162 participants, with an average age of approximately 72, all of whom reported concerns regarding memory or cognitive changes. Importantly, participants had scored within normal limits on standard cognitive assessments prior to the commencement of the study. Over a week-long period, participants received prompts on Apple Watches, asking them to rate their mental sharpness and mood—including feelings of stress, fatigue, or depression—four times a day. They also completed brief cognitive tasks designed to assess processing speed and attention directly through the device.

Innovative Assessment Methodology

This research employed a novel approach known as ecological momentary assessment (EMA), which captures individuals’ cognitive evaluations in real-time during their daily activities. This method contrasts sharply with traditional cognitive testing approaches that often require participants to recall their cognitive experiences retrospectively over extended periods, which can be less accurate. “Usually, in a clinic or a research setting, we have people do tests and ask them to retrospectively say how much they have problems with their memory. A lot of times, their test results and how they perceive their memory problem aren’t correlated,” explained Sarah Tomaszewski Farias, a neuropsychologist at UC Davis Health and the senior author of the study. “In this study, we measured both subjective mental sharpness and objective cognitive performance during regular, daily life.”

Key Findings on Cognitive Perception

The results of the study revealed a significant correlation between participants’ self-assessed mental sharpness and their actual performance on cognitive tasks. When individuals rated their mental sharpness as lower than their personal average, their cognitive performance on the tests also declined, independent of mood, age, or other contextual factors. This finding holds particular significance given the established relationship between subjective cognitive decline and depression. However, the study indicated that mood did not significantly impact the correlation between participants’ self-assessments and their performance on cognitive tests.

“It was exciting to find that mood didn’t play a big role in the relationship between how they felt, how sharp they felt, and how they performed on the cognitive test,” Tomaszewski Farias remarked. “This suggests that measuring subjective cognition in the moment may be more sensitive to objective cognitive performance—and less impacted by depression than measured in the clinic or laboratory.”

Implications for Cognitive Health

Furthermore, the study uncovered that the time of day had a notable effect on cognitive performance, with participants exhibiting sharper thinking in the morning hours. This observation corroborates existing clinical recommendations advising patients to engage in cognitively demanding tasks during their peak performance times. “We often tell patients in clinic to do things that are more cognitively demanding earlier in the day,” Tomaszewski Farias noted. “This study potentially supports such recommendations.”

The implications of this research are profound, as they suggest that real-time subjective assessments could enhance clinicians’ understanding of patients’ cognitive abilities in everyday settings. This method may offer valuable support for individuals who notice cognitive changes over time, allowing healthcare providers to identify early signs of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease risk more effectively than traditional assessment methods.

Future Directions in Cognitive Research

As the field of cognitive health continues to evolve, studies like this one underscore the importance of integrating technology into assessments of cognitive performance. The use of smartwatches and other wearable devices may pave the way for more personalized approaches to cognitive health management. The findings highlight the potential for continuous monitoring of cognitive function, which could lead to proactive measures in addressing cognitive decline.

The study, titled “The association between daily real-time assessment of subjective cognitive function and objective cognition using ecological momentary assessment,” marks a significant advancement in understanding the complexities of cognitive health in older adults. It emphasizes the need for further research into real-time cognitive assessments and their applications in clinical practice, ultimately aiming to improve the quality of life for older adults facing cognitive challenges.