Summary: | It is vital to explore methods that enable early diagnosis of cognitive decline before it converts to dementia as it may be possible to impede or prevent the progression of cognitive decline. This can be accomplished by advocating for lifestyles that have been associated with decreased risk of dementia and developing treatments. The current study aimed to address the need for inexpensive, timesaving and non-invasive techniques to aid in the identification of asymptomatic individuals at risk for cognitive decline by isolating an electroencephalographic biomarker. Mentis Cura is a digital diagnostics company that employed machine learning to develop their Conformitè Europëenne marked class 1 medical device called Sigla 3.3. The device is based on electroencephalographic data that was collected 10 – 15 years ago via convenience sampling from the Memory Clinic of the Department of Geriatrics at The National University Hospital of Iceland (Landspitali) and an advertisement placed on the local news by Mentis Cura. The Sigla 3.3 dementia index designates whether measured electroencephalographic signals resemble those of an individual diagnosed with dementia, wherein a score above 52 indicates the presence of dementia. The database is comprised of electroencephalographic recordings from people divided into two groups, one with dementia (n = 685, Mage = 76.1, SDage = 8.3) and one without dementia (n = 355, Mage = 64.9, SDage = 9.3). A total of 45 individuals (Mage = 69.8, SDage = 8.2, females = 75.5%, males = 24.4%) in the group without dementia developed cognitive decline and dementia in recent years. Their electroencephalographic data, lifestyle indices, health-related factors and neuropsychological measures were assessed in a retrospective manner. There was a significant difference in mean results on the Sigla 3.3 dementia index between individuals who stayed cognitively stable and individuals who developed cognitive decline after baseline measures. Scores on MMSE and DSST were significant predictors of variation in ...
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