Cambridge Cognition announces promising results from technology study

Neuroscience company Cambridge Cognition Holdings announced results on Tuesday from a new technology feasibility study.

The AIM-traded firm, which develops and markets near-patient technologies for the assessment of brain health to improve the drug development process, said the results demonstrate for the first time that consumer grade wearables such as the Apple Watch and Microsoft Band can be used to accurately measure clinically relevant cognitive performance in everyday life using the company's new Cognition Kit software.

It described Cognition Kit as a wearable software platform developed under a joint venture between Cambridge Cognition and London research agency Ctrl Group to address a growing need.

The board said the technology will enable doctors, scientists and patients to better understand and manage day-to-day brain health by measuring the key biological and psychological factors affecting mental performance accurately in real time.

During the study, participants wore a wearable device to monitor their levels of stress and physiological activity using built-in sensors of heart rate, galvanic skin response and skin temperature.

Throughout each day, subjects completed game-like micro tests of cognition on the device to measure attention, memory, mood and reaction speed.

Cambridge Cognition said the 30 million data points recorded demonstrate distinct patterns of performance within and across days, allowing a rich picture of a subject's cognitive health to emerge.

It added that Cognition Kit therefore has the potential to “revolutionise” brain health treatment at all stages - from patient assessments during the development of disease-modifying interventions to monitoring of patient health.

Cambridge Cognition said it is now in discussion with a number of pharmaceutical partners following significant early interest boosted by the results of the study and expects to sign the first Cognition Kit contracts in the near future.

“This proof of concept study demonstrates for the first time that these consumer devices are enabling the rapid and accurate collection of largescale scientific datasets,” said director of research and innovation Francesca Cormack.

“This not only allows dramatically more detailed knowledge of moment-by-moment brain function but also opens up new possibilities to develop machine learning algorithms that will enable earlier detection and intervention in brain disorders."

Ben Fehnert, co-founder of Ctrl Group and director of Cognition Kit, explained that simple, regular interaction with people’s own phones and wearable devices is key to helping understand daily and longer term fluctuations in cognitive function.

“This study is the first demonstration of how Cognition Kit software can build a rich picture of brain health using peoples own devices during their daily lives.”