INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 04 Program Schedule 02/15/2024 12:00 pm - 01:15 pm Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60) Poster Session 04: Neuroimaging \| Neurostimulation/Neuromodulation \| Teleneuropsychology/Technology Final Abstract #25 Analyzing Verbal Fluency and Cognitive Performance Using Speech and Cognitive Ecological Momentary Assessment Shifali Singh, McLean Hospital \| Harvard Medical School, Belmont, United States Katelin Curtis, McLean Hospital \| Harvard Medical School, Belmont, United States Carla Agurto, Digital Health IBM Research, Yorktown Heights, United States Susan Waisbren, Boston Children's Hospital \| Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States Guillermo Cecchi, Digital Health IBM Research, Yorktown Heights, United States Laura Germine, McLean Hospital \| Harvard Medical School, Belmont, United States Raquel Norel, Digital Health IBM Research, Yorktown Heights, United States Category: Teleneuropsychology/ Technology Keyword 1: phenylketonuria Keyword 2: cognitive processing Keyword 3: speech Objective: We examined a patient population diagnosed with Phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare genetic condition that can cause severe developmental and cognitive impairments due to the build-up of Phenylalanine (Phe) in the body using six cognitive and speech ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) over the course of 30 days. Patients with PKU exhibit difficulty with executive function, verbal fluency tasks, and processing speed; therefore, our primary objective was to determine how nuanced speech characteristics in verbal fluency performance might be related to cognitive tests measuring processing speed (TestMyBrain (TMB) Digit Symbol Matching; DSM) and sustained attention (TMB Gradual Onset Continuous Performance Test; gradCPT). Participants and Methods: The National PKU Alliance (NPKUA) recruited a cohort of twenty-one participants to examine fluctuations in cognition and speech through EMA. Eligible participants engaged in evaluations within an EMA structure, which included 6 brief cognitive assessments distributed across a 30-day period. EMA is an ideal method within the PKU population because it allows us to collect multiple data points from each participant, facilitating the detection of clinically meaningful findings. Results: The study revealed significant relationships among the time elapsed between consecutive words on a verbal fluency test and performance outcomes on cognitive measures. Utilizing the Spearman correlation, there were significant links found between these variables, specifically the DSM (Spearman correlation; r=-0.28, p<0.05) and gradCPT (Spearman correlation; r=0.71, p<0.05). This indicates that individuals who had prolonged time lapses between words on the verbal fluency test scored more poorly on both the DSM (reduced number of responses and increased reaction time) and the gradCPT (slower reaction time). Conclusions: The pilot study’s outcomes present statistically significant relationships between both acoustic and semantic analysis. The study’s data, acquired using EMA, can help us gain valuable personalized insights that could predict fluctuations in cognitive status. This is particularly relevant for patients with PKU who have changes in momentary cognition due to various contextual factors (e.g., diet). By better understanding speech characteristics and their potential for predicting or correlating with cognition, we can adopt quicker methods of identification, diagnosis, monitoring, and triage.

Poster

02/15/2024
12:00 pm - 01:15 pm
Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60)

Poster Session 04: Neuroimaging | Neurostimulation/Neuromodulation | Teleneuropsychology/Technology

Final Abstract #25

Analyzing Verbal Fluency and Cognitive Performance Using Speech and Cognitive Ecological Momentary Assessment

Shifali Singh, McLean Hospital | Harvard Medical School, Belmont, United States
Katelin Curtis, McLean Hospital | Harvard Medical School, Belmont, United States
Carla Agurto, Digital Health IBM Research, Yorktown Heights, United States
Susan Waisbren, Boston Children's Hospital | Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
Guillermo Cecchi, Digital Health IBM Research, Yorktown Heights, United States
Laura Germine, McLean Hospital | Harvard Medical School, Belmont, United States
Raquel Norel, Digital Health IBM Research, Yorktown Heights, United States

Category: Teleneuropsychology/ Technology

Keyword 1: phenylketonuria
Keyword 2: cognitive processing
Keyword 3: speech

Objective:

We examined a patient population diagnosed with Phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare genetic condition that can cause severe developmental and cognitive impairments due to the build-up of Phenylalanine (Phe) in the body using six cognitive and speech ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) over the course of 30 days. Patients with PKU exhibit difficulty with executive function, verbal fluency tasks, and processing speed; therefore, our primary objective was to determine how nuanced speech characteristics in verbal fluency performance might be related to cognitive tests measuring processing speed (TestMyBrain (TMB) Digit Symbol Matching; DSM) and sustained attention (TMB Gradual Onset Continuous Performance Test; gradCPT).

Participants and Methods:

The National PKU Alliance (NPKUA) recruited a cohort of twenty-one participants to examine fluctuations in cognition and speech through EMA. Eligible participants engaged in evaluations within an EMA structure, which included 6 brief cognitive assessments distributed across a 30-day period. EMA is an ideal method within the PKU population because it allows us to collect multiple data points from each participant, facilitating the detection of clinically meaningful findings.

Results:

The study revealed significant relationships among the time elapsed between consecutive words on a verbal fluency test and performance outcomes on cognitive measures. Utilizing the Spearman correlation, there were significant links found between these variables, specifically the DSM (Spearman correlation; r=-0.28, p<0.05) and gradCPT (Spearman correlation; r=0.71, p<0.05). This indicates that individuals who had prolonged time lapses between words on the verbal fluency test scored more poorly on both the DSM (reduced number of responses and increased reaction time) and the gradCPT (slower reaction time).

Conclusions:

The pilot study’s outcomes present statistically significant relationships between both acoustic and semantic analysis. The study’s data, acquired using EMA, can help us gain valuable personalized insights that could predict fluctuations in cognitive status. This is particularly relevant for patients with PKU who have changes in momentary cognition due to various contextual factors (e.g., diet). By better understanding speech characteristics and their potential for predicting or correlating with cognition, we can adopt quicker methods of identification, diagnosis, monitoring, and triage.