DANA; A Tool to Detect Cognitive Changes in Pre-clinical and MCI Patients (Admin Supplement)

Project Summary/Abstract The goals of this proposed project are to develop the DANA app into a tool that can be easily used remotely by COVID-19 patients after discharge from an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and to provide clinicians with meaningful data on the immediate and long term effects of COVID-19 on a patient’s cognitive function. DANA will also help clinicians optimize neurocognitive rehabilitation. DANA is an FDA-cleared neurocognitive assessment tool that has been shown to be a valid and reliable method for screening cognitive functioning and tracking changes in cognitive functioning over time. Importantly, DANA can provide results virtually through a HIPAA-compliant portal, which will protect the clinician and others from exposure to the patient. The specific aims of the proposal are: (1) technical modifications and support of DANA for in-home self-administration and remote monitoring of COVID-19 patients, and (2) deploy and show efficacious use of DANA with recovering COVID-19 patients. These will build on the specific aims of the current Phase II SBIR, which includes the same longitudinal surveillance for participants either at-risk for Alzheimer’s or diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Three control populations, composed of (1) hospitalized COVID-19 patients who do not require ICU admission, (2) post-discharge ICU patients without COVID-19, and (3) healthy participants from the Alzheimer’s Disease Center Registry. All participants will be given DANA immediately before leaving the hospital to determine a baseline, then they will administer the DANA tests to themselves while they convalesce in isolation. Technical changes specific to the needs of COVID-19 patients will be made to the DANA software in order to make DANA easier to use at home and provide optimal data to the clinician.Project Narrative As the number of those diagnosed with COVID-19 rises, evidence has emerged that it may affect cognitive performance, and it is critical to learn more about this issue in order to provide those patients with the best care. To fill that need, this project will provide data on COVID-19 patients’ cognitive function and essential insight into the longitudinal effects of COVID-19 on the brain. It will also optimize the DANA app for use by remote COVID-19 patients, so that clinicians will have access to the best possible tool for understanding their patients’ ongoing cognitive needs.