# The UCSF Brain Health Assessment for the Detection of Cognitive Impairment Among Diverse Populations in Primary Care

> **NIH NIH UH3** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2020 · $1,674,583

## Abstract

Efficient and user-friendly neurocognitive screens are needed that are sensitive to the variety of neurocognitive
disorder presentations to primary care. The UCSF Brain Health Assessment was developed to efficiently
measure the cognitive domains that can be affected in the earliest stages of neurocognitive decline, including
memory, executive functions / speed, visuospatial skills, language, behavior, and function. Four subtests and
an optional informant survey are administered via an appealing tablet interface and with automated scoring
and provider feedback. Preliminary validation studies indicate excellent combined sensitivity and specificity to
cognitive impairment among English-speaking older adults with moderate to high levels of education. The
primary goals of the proposed work are to optimize and validate the BHA for older adults who are diverse in
terms of education and language spoken, to perform cross-validation studies of other paradigms funded by this
award, and to evaluate and address barriers to detecting cognitive impairment in primary care. Education and
English as a second language each impact cognitive test performance and are barriers to accurate detection of
cognitive impairment. This project will address these health disparities by including persons with diverse levels
of education and persons whose primary language is Spanish, Mandarin, or Cantonese in both validation and
implementation studies. In Aim 1, we will evaluate the validity of the BHA for the detection of cognitive
impairment in well-characterized and expertly diagnosed English-speaking older adults with low, moderate, or
high education. In Aim 2, we will evaluate the validity of the BHA for the detection of cognitive impairment in
well-characterized and expertly diagnosed Spanish-, Cantonese-, or Mandarin-speaking older adults. In Aim 3,
we will identify and address implementation challenges in primary care practices that serve patients diverse in
terms of education and language spoken. If successful, this project will lead to increased detection of cognitive
impairment in everyday community settings, which is essential to enable differential diagnosis and to improve
medical management for people with cognitive impairment, including dementia, in the United States.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10003418
- **Project number:** 5UH3NS105557-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Katherine Laurel Possin
- **Activity code:** UH3 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1,674,583
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-25 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10003418

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10003418, The UCSF Brain Health Assessment for the Detection of Cognitive Impairment Among Diverse Populations in Primary Care (5UH3NS105557-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10003418. Licensed CC0.

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