The International Neuropsychological Society (INS) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The INS maintains responsibility for this program and its content. The International Neuropsychological Society, Inc. is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0154.

Remotely Delivered Digital Assessment and Technology-Focused Training of Older People with Mild Cognitive Impairment

Abstract

Digital activities are ubiquitous and are challenging for many people, particular those with cognitive changes and lack of experience. Pharmacological interventions have not been successful in most aging related conditions, although the evidence for efficacy of computerized cognitive training is building. Cognitive training does not lead directly to acquisition of new skills, which requires training. Computerized functional skills training has recently been developed and digitally migrated to fully cloud-based completely self administered delivery. In line with these developments, similarly cloud-based and self administered cognitive assessments targeting the earliest stages of aMCI have also been digitally migrated from paper legacy instruments in validated in populations with MCI.

Learning Objectives

1. Describe the history of computerized training efforts focused on faced by people with mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, and healthy older people
2. Explain the latest  assessment strategies for cognitive impairments in the earliest stages of mild cognitive impairment, comparing them to previous strategies
3. Implement strategies known to improve cognitive performance and improve everyday functioning in  people mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease

Course Information

Instructor

Philip D. Harvey, PhD

Philip D. Harvey, PhD is Leonard M. Miller Professor of Psychiatry, vice chair for research, and director of the Division of Psychology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Health Research Scientist at the Bruce W. Carter Miami VA Medical Center. He is the author of over 1,200 scientific papers and abstracts and he has written over 70 book chapters. His research has focused on cognition and everyday functioning, including the effects of pharmacological agents and cognitive and functional skills training in various conditions.
He has received several awards including the Inaugural Schizophrenia International Research Society Distinguished Contributions award (2012), the 2014 Alexander Gralnick Schizophrenia Research award, the 2014 John Blair Barnwell award from the US Department of Veterans affairs, the 2021 Stanley Dean Schizophrenia Research award from the American College of Psychiatrists, the 2023 Lieber Prize for Schizophrenia Research from The Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, and the 2024 Distinguished Researcher award from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He runs a clinical practice at UM focusing on Cognitive and Functional Skills training, focusing on aging, MCI, and psychiatric conditions.

Disclosures

Dr. Harvey has served as a consultant for Alkermes; Boehringer-Ingelheim; BMS (Karuna Therapeutics); Kynexis, Merck; and Minerva Neurosciences. He receives royalties from WCG Verasci for BACS and BAC App, and is the CSO of i-Function which produces the FUNSAT Software and Developed the Digital Migration of the LASSI. He has no non-financial relationships to disclose.

References

• Curiel Cid, R. E., Ortega, A., Vaillancourt, D., Asken, B., Crocco, E. A., Armstrong, M. J., Duara, R., Crenshaw, K., Adjouadi, M., Rosselli, M., Wang, W. E., & Loewenstein, D. A. (2024). The Association Between Plasma Amyloid-β 42/40 and Percentage of Semantic Intrusion Errors in Mild Cognitive Impairment. Journal of Alzheimer’s disease : JAD, 101(4), 1195–1204. https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-240164
• Crocco, E. A., Curiel Cid, R., Kitaigorodsky, M., Grau, G. A., Garcia, J. M., Duara, R., Barker, W., Chirinos, C. L., Rodriguez, R., & Loewenstein, D. A. (2021). Intrusion Errors and Progression of Cognitive Deficits in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment and PreMCI States. Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders, 50(2), 135–142. https://doi.org/10.1159/000512804
• Czaja, S. J., Kallestrup, P., & Harvey, P. D. (2024). The Efficacy of a Home-Based Functional Skills Training Program for Older Adults With and Without a Cognitive Impairment. Innovation in aging, 8(7), igae065. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igae065
• Dowell-Esquivel, C., Czaja, S. J., Kallestrup, P., Depp, C. A., Saber, J. N., & Harvey, P. D. (2024). Computerized Cognitive and Skills Training in Older People With Mild Cognitive Impairment: Using Ecological Momentary Assessment to Index Treatment-Related Changes in Real-World Performance of Technology-Dependent Functional Tasks. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, 32(4), 446–459. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2023.10.014
• Harvey, P. D., Chirino, M., Mueller, A., Rivera-Molina, A., Zayas-Bazan, M., Kallestrup, P., & Czaja, S. J. (2024). Improvements in performance based measures of functional capacity and cognition after computerized functional skills training in older people with mild cognitive impairment and healthy comparators. Psychiatry research, 334, 115792. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115792
• Harvey, P., Curiel-Cid, R., Kallestrup, P., Mueller, A., Rivera-Molina, A., Czaja, S., Crocco, E., & Loewenstein, D. (2025). Digital Migration of the Loewenstein Acevedo Scales for Semantic Interference and Learning (LASSI-L): Development and Validation Study in Older Participants. JMIR mental health, 12, e64716. https://doi.org/10.2196/64716
• Kitaigorodsky, M., Crocco, E., Curiel-Cid, R. E., Leal, G., Zheng, D., Eustache, M. K., Greig-Custo, M. T., Barker, W., Duara, R., & Loewenstein, D. A. (2021). The relationship of semantic intrusions to different etiological subtypes of MCI and cognitively healthy older adults. Alzheimer’s & dementia (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 13(1), e12192. https://doi.org/10.1002/dad2.12192

Current INS members may watch the webinar for free. CE credit is optional and may be purchased for an additional fee. Non-members must purchase the CE course to watch the webinar and receive CE credit (or apply to become a member and watch for free).