Dr. Carolina Santamaria-Ulloa, Full Professor and Researcher, UCR Health Research Institute
Dr. Amanda Lehning, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Assistant Professor, UMB School of Social Work
The purpose of this project is to conduct a pilot study that will assess the performance of digital cognitive biomarkers among a subsample of 60 older adults from the Costa Rican Longevity and Healthy Aging Study Retirement Cohort (CRELES-RC), aged 60 to 84, living in the Metropolitan Area. We will collect voice recordings as digital biomarkers using a tablet device as part of the interview for data collection. We will then analyze these voice recordings using a standardized test enhanced with artificial intelligence. We will evaluate older adults to determine the frailty status of participants using the Frailty Index, and we will also use the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA Test), and the Geriatric Anxiety Scale (GAS). A medical interview will be conducted by a trained geriatrician who is part of the research team, to identify participants’ current cognitive status and to collect information on existing conditions that could be potential confounders.
The funds will be used to support in-person meetings in Costa Rica with our UMB counterparts, support the professional time needed for the Costa Rican team members to conduct the pilot study, and the technological equipment needed to record the voice of participants. Our collaboration between UCR and UMB has the potential to enhance the ability of researchers, including those collecting data via large nationally representative data sets, to more accurately assess for declines in cognitive functioning.
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