Speech-based digital cognitive assessments for detection of mild cognitive impairment: Validation against paper-based neurocognitive assessment scores

BackgroundCognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease (AD) often includes speech impairments, where subtle changes may precede clinical dementia onset. As clinical trials focus on early identification of patients for disease-modifying treatments, digital speech-based assessments for scalable screening have become crucial.ObjectiveThis study aimed to validate a remote, speech-based digital cognitive assessment for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) detection through the comparison with gold-standard paper-based neurocognitive assessments.MethodsWithin the PROSPECT-AD project, speech and clinical data were obtained from the German DELCODE and DESCRIBE cohorts, including 21 healthy controls (HC), 110 participants with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), and 59 with MCI. Spearman rank and partial correlations were computed between speech-based scores and clinical measures. Kruskal-Wallis tests assessed group differences. We trained machine learning models to classify diagnostic groups comparing classification accuracies between gold-standard assessment scores and a speech-based digital cognitive assessment composite score (SB-C).ResultsGlobal cognition, as measured by SB-C, significantly differed between diagnostic groups (<i>H</i>(2) = 30.93, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Speech-based scores were significantly correlated with global anchor scores (MMSE, CDR, PACC5). Speech-based composites for memory, executive function and processing speed were also correlated with respective domain-specific paper-based assessments. In logistic regression classification, the model combining SB-C and neuropsychological tests at baseline achieved a high discriminatory power in differentiating HC/SCD from MCI patients (Area Under the Curve = 0.86).ConclusionsOur findings support speech-based cognitive assessments as a promising avenue towards remote MCI screening, with implications for scalable screening in clinical trials and healthcare.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Alzheimer s Disease
Published
2025-05-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/13872877251343296
Citations
3
Primary Topic
Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
4.41

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article

Speech-based digital cognitive assessments for detection of mild cognitive impairment: Validation against paper-based neurocognitive assessment scores

Emrah Düzel, Antje Osterrath, Jens Wiltfang, Ayda Rostamzadeh et al.
3 citations
Journal of Alzheimer s Disease
Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
4.41
article

Speech-based digital cognitive assessments for detection of mild cognitive impairment: Validation against paper-based neurocognitive assessment scores

Emrah Düzel, Antje Osterrath, Jens Wiltfang, Ayda Rostamzadeh, Johannes Tröger, Annika Spottke, Stefan Johannes Teipel, Zampeta-Sofia Alexopoulou, Sandra Roeske, Luca Kleineidam, Michael Wagner, Alexandra König, Claudia Bartels, Klaus Fließbach, Elisa Mallick, Enise Irem Incesoy, Josef Priller, Björn Falkenburger, Stefanie Köhler, Nicklas Linz, Frank Jessen, Ingo Frommann, Ingo Kilimann, Valéria Manera, Anja Schneider, Michaela Butryn, Wenzel Glanz, Matthias H. Munk, Eike Spruth, Melina Stark, Sebastian Sodenkamp, Christoph Laske, A F Esser
article en
3 citations

Abstract

BackgroundCognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease (AD) often includes speech impairments, where subtle changes may precede clinical dementia onset. As clinical trials focus on early identification of patients for disease-modifying treatments, digital speech-based assessments for scalable screening have become crucial.ObjectiveThis study aimed to validate a remote, speech-based digital cognitive assessment for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) detection through the comparison with gold-standard paper-based neurocognitive assessments.MethodsWithin the PROSPECT-AD project, speech and clinical data were obtained from the German DELCODE and DESCRIBE cohorts, including 21 healthy controls (HC), 110 participants with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), and 59 with MCI. Spearman rank and partial correlations were computed between speech-based scores and clinical measures. Kruskal-Wallis tests assessed group differences. We trained machine learning models to classify diagnostic groups comparing classification accuracies between gold-standard assessment scores and a speech-based digital cognitive assessment composite score (SB-C).ResultsGlobal cognition, as measured by SB-C, significantly differed between diagnostic groups (<i>H</i>(2) = 30.93, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Speech-based scores were significantly correlated with global anchor scores (MMSE, CDR, PACC5). Speech-based composites for memory, executive function and processing speed were also correlated with respective domain-specific paper-based assessments. In logistic regression classification, the model combining SB-C and neuropsychological tests at baseline achieved a high discriminatory power in differentiating HC/SCD from MCI patients (Area Under the Curve = 0.86).ConclusionsOur findings support speech-based cognitive assessments as a promising avenue towards remote MCI screening, with implications for scalable screening in clinical trials and healthcare.

Journal of Alzheimer s DiseaseVol. 108(1_suppl)
University of Bonn (DE), University of Cologne (DE), Université Côte d'Azur (FR), University Hospital Bonn (DE), German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DE), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice (FR), UK Dementia Research Institute (GB), Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases (DE), University Hospital Magdeburg (DE), Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research (DE), Cognition Behaviour Technology (FR), University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus (DE), University of Rostock (DE), University of Aveiro (PT), Technical University of Munich (DE), University of Göttingen (DE), Technische Universität Dresden (DE), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin (DE), University of Tübingen (DE), Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg (DE), University of Edinburgh (GB)
Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, HORIZON EUROPE Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Reduced inequalities
Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
4.41
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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