# Precision-based Assessment for the Detection of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · 2020 · $533,609

## Abstract

Project Summary
 There is growing recognition that neurodegenerative brain changes in conditions such as Alzheimer's
 disease (AD) occur years before symptoms are currently detected using traditional cognitive assessment
 paradigms. These are not sufficiently sensitive to detect the subtle cognitive changes associated with the
 condition that occur early in the disease continuum. There is a rising consensus in the field that novel
 cognitive assessment paradigms are critically needed to serve as more sensitive clinical outcome measures
 in MCI-AD clinical trials. Capturing deficits early is necessary to move the field forward as it makes efforts to
 develop both prevention strategies and novel treatment approaches, which are likely to be most effective in
 the earliest stages of disease. In addition to the above limitations, widely used paper-and-pencil measures
 employed for the detection of AD-related Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) require a highly skilled examiner,
 and are staff and time intensive. Existing computerized batteries too have their limitations in that many
 employ insensitive measurement paradigms, and often are unavailable for diverse cultural/language groups.
 Our group are leaders in the field developing “cognitive stress tests,” and have demonstrated that
stressing the cognitive system by eliciting proactive semantic interference (PSI) and then, measuring recovery
from PSI represents a more sensitive approach to detecting cognitive decline during the preclinical stages of
AD. Moreover, vulnerability to PSI and failure to recover from PSI has been highly associated with brain
changes on MRI as well as amyloid load in AD signature regions. These important findings stemming from the
paper-and-pencil versions of our cognitive tests have been refined further by selecting the most sensitive
indices and computerizing the instruments to reduce time and error, and increase accessibility and cross-
cultural applicability.
 We propose to recruit 250 community-dwelling older adults to conduct a longitudinal examination of
the utility of three novel computerized cognitive stress tests to detect amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment
(MCI) versus normal cognition. These novel cognitive tests, the Loewenstein-Acevedo Scales of Semantic
Interference- Brief Computerized version (LASSI-BC), Miami Prospective Memory Test- Computerized
version (MPMT-C), and Miami Test of Semantic Interference and Learning, Extended version (MITSI-LE) will
be compared to ubiquitously used computerized cognitive measures in AD clinical trials among Hispanic and
Non-Hispanic individuals. Further, we will relate performance on these novel measures to regional brain
changes on MRI in AD signature regions, and ApoE genotype. We predict that among individuals with
amnestic MCI, baseline and change scores on the LASSI-BC, MPMT-C, and MITSI-LE will exhibit stronger
associations with increasing brain atrophy on MRI over a three-year period relative to traditional and widely
...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9856311
- **Project number:** 5R01AG055638-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Rosie E Curiel Cid
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $533,609
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-04-01 → 2023-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9856311

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9856311, Precision-based Assessment for the Detection of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults (5R01AG055638-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9856311. Licensed CC0.

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