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Dell Medical School
  • About the Lab
  • Projects
    • Smartphone-Based Solutions for Prospective Memory in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia
    • Digital Biomarker and Analytics for Cognitive Impairment with Mobile and Wearable Sensing
    • Bringing the Assessment of Everyday Activities into the 21st Century
    • Technological Reserve: Understanding Technology Use as a Skill that Reduces the Risk of Cognitive Impairment
    • Closed-Loop Brain Stimulation as a Potential Intervention for Cognitive Decline
    • Past Projects
      • Cognitive Screening Made Easy for Primary Care Providers
  • Clinical Trials & Research Studies
  • Publications
  • Team
  • News

 

TechANS Lab

 

Bringing the Assessment of Everyday Activities into the 21st Century

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) are no exceptions. Whether banking or shopping online, using a smartphone to stay in touch with friends or family, or using GPS to navigate, there are few daily activities that technology has not touched.  Despite the ubiquitous nature of technology use in daily tasks, current measures of daily activities used in large ADRD trials rely on items developed 4 to 5 decades ago. By not understanding and routinely measuring digital daily skills, we do not understand optimum environmental modifications that can help individuals compensate for cognitive decline, and we may not be measuring the skills most important to patients and family m embers of those living with ADRD. Thus, the thrust of these projects are to help us understand and update daily activity assessments for the modern age.  Through clinical, community, and advanced psychometric techniques, our group is helping to create “living measurements” of daily activity that can be sensitive, valid, and responsive to the real world digital functioning of those with or at risk for ADRD.

 

Funding: Alzheimer’s Association 

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Latest TechANS Lab News

  • UT study: Technology such as computer, cell phones could be good for older adults
  • Study links technology use to lower risk of cognitive decline
  • Here’s the truth about your ‘digital dementia’ risk
  • Tech Use Isn’t Driving Dementia in Older Adults
  • Technology use may be associated with a lower risk for dementia, study finds

Latest Publications

Invested Partner Feedback on Technology Assistance in Dementia (Tech-AiD). J Appl Gerontol.

Do We All Do the Same Things? Applicability of Daily Activities at the Intersection of Demographics. Neuropsychology.

The Technology in Caring Questionnaire: Development and Psychometric Properties. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord.

Technology Use in Activities of Daily Living Amongst Older Adults Referred for Memory Clinic Evaluations. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society

Validity of the Tele-administered Montreal Cognitive Assessment for Identifying Geriatric Neurocognitive Disorders. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.

Hypnosis Intervention for Sleep Disturbances in Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Pilot Study. Int J Clin Exp Hypn.

For a complete list of publications go to our Publications page!

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