Overview

Cognitive deficits are core features of schizophrenia, likely reflecting widespread disruption of brain connectivity, circuitry, and other biological signaling mechanisms. They are often the earliest signs of illness and the best predictor of functional outcomes. Despite its critical importance to clinical outcomes, cognition is not routinely screened in clinical care. Our goal to introduce accessible micro cognitive and contextual momentary performance metrics and study their utility in assessing real-world functioning and symptoms presents an important and feasible start across sites in this study

Aims of Study

The study has focus group discussions with patients and professionals in aim 1.  In aim 2 we will recruit patients to test the reliability and validity of cognitive assessments administered by a digital phenotyping app for a period of 30 days. In aim 3, we will also add healthy controls along with the recruited patients for 180 days to assess momentary cognition, via the cognitive assessments developed in the app.

Rationale

Clinically, administering cognitive assessments such as the MATRICS™ Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB™) or BACS takes more time than is available in the standard patient visit. There are also fewer assessments for remote administration, which creates additional hurdles. This study attempt to address these challenges around the assessment of cognition as well as its measurement in the context of different environments and circadian terms through a novel concept called micro cognitive and contextual momentary performance. Micro cognitive and contextual momentary performance metrics involve two core elements captured simultaneously: 1) brief self-administered scalable smartphone measures of cognitive performance; and 2) digital phenotyping measures of symptoms, activity levels, sleep patterns, and related functional/environmental factors. 

Partner/s

• The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Boston, USA

• All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India

• National Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience (NIMHANS), India