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Memory testing/research
I've been engaging with a few people who follow the Aging Well Support Group on the topic of improving our sense of smell, which can also improve memory. One thing led to another, and I'm starting this new discussion to flag the Alzheimer Prevention Trials (APT) Webstudy, which "helps individuals 50 and older track their memory with a series of online, no-cost tests that take just 20 minutes every three and six months" at https://www.aptwebstudy.org/. It's a simple way to track your personal memory condition, while helping in dementia research. If you've never heard of it, you might check it out.
I've discovered that my performance so far bounces around, but not in a big range. So it took a year or so before I was confident that the results were meaningful. It also made me a bit skeptical of a single test of any sort on a single day in a doctor's office. I now think that any given pencil-and-paper (like, for example, the Mini MoCA: https://mocacognition.com/paper/) or interview-based test for very early indications of memory decline can be influenced by whether we're having a good day or a bad day when the test is taken. I'm sure the tests work great if you are well into a dementia journey, but if you are trying for an early indicator, it helps to start by setting a personal baseline before your memory loss is serious, not use the baseline of whatever is "normal" for "most people". "Normal" for "most people" may not be "normal" for any one of us. If we start taking these tests early, we define our own "normal", so if we can monitor our own memory trends off our own baselines rather than try to pull meaning out of an individual data point.
None of this applies to the new blood tests, of course, which have different accuracy issues.
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Thank you so much for this post. I look forward to trying it out and getting a baseline.
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3 ReactionsDear Projfan-
Thank you for this link.
These are not simple tests. A test that doesn't test you to the limits of your ability isn't a very accurate test.
These tests clearly went beyond my limits.
I'm impressed by the first tests, and look forward to completing the series.
Ed
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5 ReactionsThis is no walk in the park. However I want to get more info on any cognitive decline. I want it but not looking forward to it.
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2 Reactions@gravity3 Yeah. When I said "simple", I meant that it doesn't take a lot of time and you can do it from home, and the process is easy. The test, itself, makes me tense, because in order to work, it is inevitably stressful. It needs to push you, so it's not fun to do.
My apologies for being confusing.
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3 Reactions@projfan
No apologies needed. I didn't feel confused at all.
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1 ReactionAt first I thought it would be easy, but definitely pushed me. I'm thinking I won't look at the dashboard with the results until I finish all the days......Thanks for the website address.
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2 ReactionsI'm going into day 3 testing. I'm rather set up to fail, because I don't view the world like the test want me to. I've never been able to recall names, and the prices of the grocery store are not how I think. I've always rounded up or down, so I'll never remember the cents. It's not logical for my brain.
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2 Reactions@linza A great reason to pay attention to the baseline you produce and compare future performance to that baseline, since a one-shot in a doctor's office may not be informative in your case. Particularly if the inability to remember that sort of thing has a long history, and you were entirely functional during that period. We are all cognitively different, and have learned to adapt our lives to that, right? Which is not a sign of any cognitive degradation if it shows up on a test like this -- it's a sign of cognitive difference.
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