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Utility, reliability, sensitivity and validity of an online test system designed to monitor changes in cognitive function in clinical trials
Author(s) -
Wesnes Keith A.,
Brooker Helen,
Ballard Clive,
McCambridge Laura,
Stenton Robert,
Corbett Anne
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
international journal of geriatric psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.28
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1166
pISSN - 0885-6230
DOI - 10.1002/gps.4659
Subject(s) - cognition , reliability (semiconductor) , test (biology) , cognitive test , psychology , session (web analytics) , population , clinical trial , audiology , clinical psychology , medicine , computer science , psychiatry , world wide web , paleontology , power (physics) , physics , environmental health , pathology , quantum mechanics , biology
Objective The advent of long‐term remotely conducted clinical trials requires assessments which can be administered online. This paper considers the utility, reliability, sensitivity and validity of an internet‐based system for measuring changes in cognitive function which is being used in one such trial. Methods The Platform for Research Online to investigate Genetics and Cognition in Ageing is a 10‐year longitudinal and entirely remote study launched in November 2015. The CogTrack TM System is being used to monitor changes in important aspects of cognitive function using tests of attention, information processing and episodic memory. On study entry, the participants performed CogTrack TM up to three times over seven days, and these data are evaluated in this paper. Results During the first six months of the study, 14 531 individuals aged 50 to 94 years enrolled and performed the CogTrack TM System, 8627 of whom completed three test sessions. On the first administration, 99.4% of the study tasks were successfully completed. Repeated testing showed training/familiarisation effects on four of the ten measures which had largely stabilised by the third test session. The factor structure of the various measures was found to be robust. Evaluation of the influence of age identified clinically relevant declines over the age range of the population on one or more measures from all tasks. Conclusions The results of these analyses identify CogTrack TM to be a practical and valid method to reliably, sensitively, remotely and repeatedly collect cognitive data from large samples of individuals aged 50 and over. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.