IGNITE - iPad app designed to detect early signs of dementia

[rhianconvery]

Hi everyone,

My name is Rhian, and I am a PhD student at the Dementia Research Centre in UCL. As part of my PhD, I have helped to develop an iPad-based app called "Ignite" which we hope will test people’s thinking more easily than standard psychology tests, particularly in the early detection of frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

Ignite contains fun adaptations of standard psychology tests, that can test a wide range of brain functions in just 20 minutes. We are now looking for healthy controls to test the app in order to generate some normal data for the tasks before we can use the app in dementia research. We are particularly lacking healthy volunteers aged between 20 and 50!

If you would like to help us validate this promising tool, that could help to detect early signs of dementia in the future, then please download "IGNITE App" from the App Store onto an iPad and complete the fun games. Your contribution would be hugely appreciated!

Best wishes,
Rhian

Please note the Ignite app is only available for iPad at the moment, but we do hope to develop the app for other devices in the near future.

 

[nae sporran]

Just a quick note to say that Rhian has been given permission to post.

 

[Countryboy]

ok I just downloaded app did the test but didn’t get any result at end so bit pointless

 

[Countryboy]

if this hepls
ok as my previous reply I did the test however I thought it wasn’t designed for the older generation especially over age 75 possibly with No technology experience of computers , iPad etc I have been working on computers since 1985/86 over 35 years and still struggled at first it took me a few minutes to get my head around. it by then I had already completed a couple of the tests when it came to the pairs eye’s / meanings will I just couldn’t understand that at all the remainder of the test seem fairly easy by the way I was diagnosed with dementia 22 years ago Alzheimer’s & FTD

Probally 75% would fail the test maybe ever 85% in the older age group

Countryboy

 

[rhianconvery]

Hi there,

Yes unfortunately we do not feedback individual results, we are looking to see how people of different age groups perform on the test as a whole. This will allow us to see what healthy ageing looks like from these scores, so that we can compare this to clinical populations, such as those at-risk of developing dementia.

We expect there to be variability in scores in the population across ages, but there is no pass/fail of the test. All this data is really useful information for us that will ultimately help us to streamline the assessment and pick the best tests!

Best wishes,
Rhian

 

[Banjomansmate]

Completed the test ( realising halfway through one that I was doing it wrong! - doh!) and have sent the link to much younger family members asking if they would do the same.

 

[rhianconvery]

Completed the test ( realising halfway through one that I was doing it wrong! - doh!) and have sent the link to much younger family members asking if they would do the same.

Thank you very much for completing the test, and for forwarding on your help is much appreciated!

 

[WJG]

I've used this app, but was frustrated not to have an analysis. I've just completed a series of neuropsychological tests and it would be good to compare findings.
I've also tried a different app that seemed strongly skewed towards only testing visual memory - which is well preserved in my case, whilst my verbal memory is fading fast. What I like about Ignite is that it seems more dimensional in assessing different cognitive functions. I worry that skewed tests will produce false negatives.
Are there plans to assess Ignite findings against in depth neuropsychological tests?