REMEDES constitutes a system oriented towards high precision measuring and recording of reflexes via optical and/or auditory stimuli. The system is suitable for detecting and quantifying a person’s proprioception/kinesthesia, since it is based on the fundamental human action-reaction phenomenon, involving seeing and/or hearing an event, and reacting through the myoskeletal system. It comprises a number of portable wireless devices that can be placed in arbitrary places and be configured accordingly, this way setting up and performing new types of reflex measuring exercises.
Although several tools are available in literature for detecting healthy cognitive aging from Subjective Cognitive Impairment (SCI), SCI from Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and MCI from dementia, there is not yet a common accepted neuropsychological tool capable enough to differentiate between the clinical spectrum of ageing and especially from SCI to MCI. Cognitive control abilities such as inhibition and working memory are correlated with cognitive decline and dementia. As a result, Alzheimer Hellas in collaboration with the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Psychology and Medicine School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) designed a new cognitive control test.
The R4Alz test is a new psychometric tool used for the assessment of abilities of cognitive control and attention control, which, does not seem to require language skills, in order to minimise the influence from the patient’s educational level. The first tasks are assessing abilities such as working memory storage, working memory processing and working memory updating, enriched by episodic buffer recruitment; while the next tasks are assessing attention control and specifically selective attention, sustained attention and divided attention. The last tasks are assessing inhibition, switching of attention, and cognitive flexibility. Every task includes seven pads. Every pad is followed by a specific colour, sound or figure depending on the task. The subtest’s instructions are both verbal and nonverbal. The battery‘s duration is almost an hour, while it’s administration is quite simple. The validation study is in progress and the pilot results will be announced very soon.
For more information please contact Mrs Poptsi Eleni: epoptsi@gmail.com