Cogstate

🌱🌿 Some of the proud “plant parents” here at Cogstate! One of the many perks of a virtual-first policy is the ability to make our workspaces as unique as we are, including an abundance of plants (if we so choose). Whether we display bouquets from our kids, chill with a poisonous cactus, or take a coffee break in a thriving outdoor space, we’re basking in our remote work life! Without fail, ‘remote working’ questions in our Cogstate team member surveys are one of the highest scoring factors. We’ve leaned into this model and are loving the results--happy employees and continued positive business outputs.

Cognitive measurement can be used to understand effects of medicines used to optimize sleep or wakefulness. In this short video, Cogstate CIO, Paul Maruff, answers questions about this topic, including: •Can the sedative effects of drugs like benzodiazepines observed in healthy young adults help estimate their impact on older adults? •How do these sedative effects translate across different patient populations? •Is the fatigue reported by people with MS similar to that experienced by individuals with Parkinson’s disease? And can the same wake-promoting drugs be effective in both groups? 📺 Gather his thoughts on YouTube 👉 https://lnkd.in/eg5FWjhf

🧠 📱 Lila is a self-administered memory app that uses virtual assistant and natural language processing technology to mimic face-to-face administration, making cognitive assessment accessible at home with immediate feedback. Lila is based on the well-known, highly-validated Cogstate International Shopping List Test (ISLT). The ISLT has been used extensively in global studies of early Alzheimer's Disease. Check out updates about Lila from our Science Director, Svenja Wacker, and discover how this tool could impact not only clinical trials and healthcare settings, but also empower consumers to track their own cognitive health over time: https://lnkd.in/eeEDesGX

🌎 51,398 people are participating in Alzheimer’s Disease clinical trials worldwide. This statistic and others from a recent report published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia highlight the scope of the current AD drug development landscape. Based on an analysis of clinicatrials.gov led by Jeffrey Cummings, this recent report shares trial numbers, therapeutic targets, biomarkers, innovations, recruitment timelines, and an array of information detailing the vital research ongoing in this therapeutic area. Find more statistics here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eHjdXZTQ

A recent paper in the Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease highlights a secondary analyses from the A4 study. Researchers noted changes in digital cognitive test performance (including the Cogstate CBB) between solanezumab and placebo groups in the preclinical AD trial. "Important work here from the A4 study group, lead by Dr Kate Papp," said Paul Maruff, Cogstate CIO and paper co-author. "The publication shows for the first time that digital cognitive assessments, including those from the Cogstate Brief Battery are sensitive to amyloid related cognitive decline over 240 weeks in adults enrolled in the A4 clinical trial. As was observed for the PACC, there was no benefit of the study drug in adults with preclinical AD."  The cognitive data collapsed across treatment and placebo groups provides important information for understanding disease progression and cognitive decline in clinical trials of adults with preclinical AD. Read the paper here - https://lnkd.in/eXVY-2ux

It's showtime. #AAIC24 The Cogstate Crew is in the middle of all the action at the Alzheimer's Association® International Conference in Philadelphia this week. If you are in town, swing by Booth 1407 for a chat! #AlzheimersDisease #Alzheimers

#AAIC24 starts next week! We invite conference participants to stop by Cogstate’s booth to demo a self-adminstered cognitive testing experience on your smartphone or tablet device. Learn more about scalable and sensitive cognitive testing solutions for your trials. See Cogstate’s 22 AAIC scientific presentations > https://lnkd.in/e6aytt7f

Two of the most widely used instruments for assessing depression severity in clinical trials are the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D). Both scales have complexities that—without proper training and calibration—can lead to rater errors that may impact the ability to make informed clinical trial decisions. In this article, Kim Field Baldwin shares some common MADRS and HAM-D rater errors, as well as mitigation strategies. #ClinicalTrials #MentalHealthResearch #RaterTraining #ClinicalAssessment #Cogstate

#AAIC24 is around the corner, and we are eager to convene with friends and colleagues at the largest international conference on dementia science! Stop by our booth or schedule a meeting to discuss rater training solutions, remote assessment, and digital cognitive testing for your upcoming AD trials. Set-up a time to chat or see our AAIC presentations here > https://lnkd.in/e6aytt7f

📢 New insights and implications for those working on M1 drugs: Recent findings from a sample within the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) study led by Ying Xia of the Australian CSIRO and Paul Maruff from Cogstate show that loss of cholinergic neurons occur in the asymptomatic or preclinical stage of Alzheimer’s Disease. “Loss of volume in the cholinergic rich areas of the Nucleus Basalis of Meynert occurs in cognitively unimpaired older adults with abnormally high levels of amyloid,” said Maruff. “The rate of this is greater than in adjacent areas of the nucleus basalis that have less cholinergic innervation. Importantly, multivariable modeling indicated that in preclinical AD this loss of cholinergic function was associated more strongly with a decline in attentional functions.” 🔬 These findings provide context for designing studies with compounds promoting acetylcholine neurotransmission and observing any potential AD impacts. 📖 Read the full publication here: https://lnkd.in/egt2FiKM