Can a tablet-based cancellation test identify cognitive impairment in older adults?

• Published in: PloS one 2017-07, Vol.12 (7), p.e0181809-e0181809
• Main Authors: Wu, Ya-Huei, Vidal, Jean-Sébastien, de Rotrou, Jocelyne, Sikkes, Sietske A M, Rigaud, Anne-Sophie, Plichart, Matthieu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adults; Age; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Alzheimer Disease - diagnosis; Alzheimer's disease; Alzheimers disease; Analysis; Area Under Curve; Biological markers; Biology and Life Sciences; Cancellation; Cognition; Cognition & reasoning; Cognitive ability; Cognitive disorders; Cognitive Dysfunction - diagnosis; Computed tomography; Computers, Handheld; Confidence intervals; Dementia; Demographics; Demography; Devices; Diagnosis; Diagnostic systems; Disorders; Elderly patients; Engineering and Technology; Executive Function; Familiarity; Female; Health aspects; Human error; Humans; Impairment; Indexing; Male; Medical diagnosis; Medicine and Health Sciences; Memory; Middle Aged; Neurodegenerative diseases; Neuropsychological Tests; Older people; Patients; People and Places; Regression analysis; ROC Curve; Self efficacy; Social Sciences; Studies; T-tests
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181809

There has been a growing interest in using computerized cognitive assessment to detect age-related cognitive disorders. We have developed a tablet-based cancellation test (e-CT), previously shown as a reliable measure of executive functions and free of effect of familiarity with computer-based devices in healthy older adults. This study aimed to investigate the influence of demographics and current daily use of computer-based devices in older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). We further studied the ability of the e-CT to discriminate MCI and AD patients from older adults with normal cognition (NC). The e-CT was administered to 325 older adults (NC = 112, MCI = 129, AD = 84). Subjects also performed the K-T test, a paper-and-pencil cancellation test from which the e-CT was developed. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to assess the contribution of demographics and current daily use of computer-based devices on the e-CT in patient groups. The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves and the Area Under the Curve (AUC) were established to compare the efficacy of the e-CT and the K-T test to classify subjects into diagnostic groups. In the MCI group, age (B = -0.37, p