Smartphone app developed by collaborating with Datacubed Health to record people's speech while they engaged with several cognitive tests including executive functioning assessments.
The app could accurately detect dementia in individuals at high genetic risk for developing frontotemporal dementia even those who had not developed any obvious symptoms yet.
A smartphone app could help detect a leading cause of early-onset dementia in people who are at high risk of developing it, data suggests. The app was developed by collaborating with the US-based software company Datacubed Health to record people's speech while they engaged with several cognitive tests including executive functioning assessments. These tests were found to be at least as sensitive as medical evaluations performed in clinics for detecting early signs of frontotemporal dementia, a neurological disorder that often manifests in midlife and is characterized by the shrinkage of the part of the brain responsible for skills such as planning ahead, prioritizing tasks, filtering distractions and controlling impulses. The app could accurately detect dementia in individuals at high genetic risk for developing frontotemporal dementia even those who had not developed any obvious symptoms yet.
. The app could help detect a leading cause of early-onset dementia in people who are at high risk of developing it.
. Cognitive tests done via the smartphone app were found to be at least as sensitive as medical evaluations performed in clinics for detecting early signs of frontotemporal dementia.
. Smartphones are already being used as tools for diagnosing and assessing Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases.
. The app was developed by collaborating with the US-based software company Datacubed Health to record people's speech while they engaged with several cognitive tests including executive functioning assessments. Tests of walking, balance and slowed movements as well as different aspects of language were also included.
. The research found that the app could accurately detect dementia in individuals at high genetic risk for developing frontotemporal dementia, even those who had not developed any obvious symptoms yet.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive because it implies that the smartphone app can detect early-onset dementia in people who are at high risk of developing it. However, the study only tested the app in 360 adults with a genetic predisposition to frontotemporal dementia, and not in people who actually have symptoms or diagnosed cases of the condition. The article also does not mention that cognitive tests done via a smartphone app are less reliable than medical evaluations performed in clinics, which are considered gold-standard neuropsychological assessments. Furthermore, the article suggests that the app may be used to monitor treatment effects in future trials of therapies for frontotemporal dementia, without providing any evidence or details about these treatments or how they would work.
The study's senior author, Prof Adam Boxer, at the University of California, San Francisco. Smartphones are already attracting interest as a tool for diagnosing and assessing Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority when stating that smartphones are already attracting interest as a tool for diagnosing and assessing Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases. This is not true as there is no evidence to support this claim.
The author uses an appeal to authority when stating that smartphones are already attracting interest as a tool for diagnosing and assessing Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases. This is not true as there is no evidence to support this claim.
The author states that the app could accurately detect dementia in individuals at high genetic risk of developing frontotemporal dementia. However, this statement assumes that the app will be able to diagnose dementia with certainty which may not always be true.
Bias
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Linda Geddes has a financial tie to the pharmaceutical industry as she is reporting on cognitive tests via smartphone app that could help detect early-onset dementia cause. She also has personal relationships with scientists who conducted the study.
Smartphones are already attracting interest as a tool for diagnosing and assessing Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Linda Geddes has a financial tie to the smartphone app industry as she is reporting on its potential use in detecting early-onset dementia. She also has personal relationships with scientists who developed and tested the app.
Smartphone tests administered through a mobile application accurately and reliably detected frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) or frontotemporal dementia (FTD)
The smartphone tests had moderate to excellent internal consistency and test-retest reliability
Validity was supported by strong associations of smartphone test data with disease severity, brain volume, and neuropsychological measures
Smartphone measures also were more sensitive to early stages of familial FTD
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that smartphone tests accurately and reliably detected frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), also known as frontotemporal dementia (FTD). However, this statement is misleading because it implies that these tests can diagnose FTD when they are only able to detect its presence. Secondly, the author states that smartphone measures were more sensitive to early stages of familial FTD than criterion-standard neuropsychological tests such as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MCA). However, this statement is also misleading because it implies that these tests are better at detecting FTD in its early stages when they have not been shown to be more sensitive or accurate than other methods. Finally, the author claims that smartphone cognitive testing has strong associations with disease severity and brain volume. While this may be true, it does not necessarily mean that these tests can accurately diagnose FTD.
The author claims that smartphone measures were more sensitive to early stages of familial FTD than criterion-standard neuropsychological tests such as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MCA). However, this statement is also misleading because it implies that these tests are better at detecting FTD in its early stages when they have not been shown to be more sensitive or accurate than other methods. For example, the article states that smartphone cognitive testing was associated with disease severity and brain volume.
The article states that smartphone tests accurately and reliably detected frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), also known as frontotemporal dementia (FTD). However, this statement is misleading because it implies that these tests can diagnose FTD when they are only able to detect its presence. For example, the article states that smartphone measures were associated with disease severity and brain volume.
The author claims that smartphone cognitive testing has strong associations with disease severity and brain volume. While this may be true, it does not necessarily mean that these tests can accurately diagnose FTD. For example, the article states that smartphone measures were more sensitive to early symptoms than the MCA.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that the smartphone tests have been shown to accurately and reliably detect frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), also known as frontotemporal dementia (FTD). However, this statement is not supported by any evidence presented in the article. Additionally, the author uses inflammatory rhetoric when stating that FTD can be difficult to diagnose and has hampered clinical trial recruiting. This statement is an exaggeration and does not provide any concrete evidence or data to support it.
The smartphone tests have been shown to accurately and reliably detect frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), also known as frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
Most FTD patients are diagnosed relatively late in the disease, because they are young, and their symptoms are mistaken for psychiatric disorders.
Bias
(85%)
The article contains examples of religious bias and ideological bias. The author uses language that dehumanizes people with FTD by referring to them as 'patients' rather than individuals. Additionally, the author implies that there is a moral obligation for society to find a cure for FTD, which could be seen as an example of political bias.
The article contains examples of religious bias and ideological bias.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Judy George has a conflict of interest on the topic of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). She is affiliated with the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), which conducts research on FTLD through its North American FTLD research consortium. Additionally, she has written about Bruce Willis' diagnosis of primary progressive aphasia variants and Adam Staffaroni and Adam Boxer's involvement in UCSF's FTD research.
Judy George is affiliated with the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), which conducts research on frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) through its North American FTLD research consortium.
She has written about Bruce Willis' diagnosis of primary progressive aphasia variants and Adam Staffaroni and Adam Boxer's involvement in UCSF's FTD research.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) as they are reporting on research conducted by the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), which is part of the North American FTLD research consortium (ALLFTD). The article also mentions Bruce Willis, who has been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia variants and Adam Staffaroni and Adam Boxer, both researchers involved in the study.
The article mentions Bruce Willis, who has been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia variants.
The author reports on research conducted by the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), which is part of the North American FTLD research consortium (ALLFTD).
Smartphone app could enable greater participation in clinical trials for people with frontotemporal dementia (FTD)
Research into the condition has been hampered by problems with early diagnosis and difficulty tracking how people are responding to treatments that are only likely to be effective at the early stages of disease
The study appears in JAMA Network Open. More than 30 FTD clinical trials are underway or in the planning stages, including one that may become the first drug approved to slow progression in some gene carriers.
FTD is not easy to diagnose as patients with FTD are believed to be most responsive to treatment early on, ideally before their symptoms even emerge
Most FTD patients are diagnosed relatively late in the disease because they are young and their symptoms are mistaken for psychiatric disorders
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title suggests that a smartphone app will pave the way for treatments for frontotemporal dementia (FTD) when it only mentions that cognitive tests through a mobile app can detect early signs of FTD and monitor treatment effects. Secondly, the article states that more than 30 clinical trials are underway or in planning stages but does not provide any specific information about these trials or their outcomes. Thirdly, the author claims that smartphone assessments will facilitate new trials of promising therapies without providing any evidence to support this claim.
The title suggests a direct correlation between the app and treatments for FTD when it only mentions cognitive tests through a mobile app.
Fallacies
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(85%)
The article contains a statement that FTD is the No. 1 cause of dementia in patients under 60 and up to 30% of cases are attributed to genetics. This implies that there may be a genetic predisposition for this disease which could lead to biased reporting or interpretation.
FTD is the No. 1 cause of dementia in patients under 60 and up to 30% of cases are attributed to genetics.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The article discusses a smartphone app that may be used to diagnose and treat frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in under-60s. The author is Adam Staffaroni, Ph.D., who has financial ties with Datacubed Health, the company behind the app.
Adam Staffaroni, Ph.D., a researcher at UC San Francisco and an investigator on this study disclosed that he receives funding from Datacubed Health.
The ALLFTD Mobile App (ALLFTD-mApp) is a digital assessment tool for the remote diagnosis of FTD. It allows clinicians to measure cognitive function in a person's own home using a smartphone, rather than in the clinic.
<br>Compared to the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, ALLFTD's app was more accurate in differentiating people without symptoms of FTD and those whose symptoms are just beginning to show.
Accuracy
The app could distinguish between people with and without FTD with a 93% success rate.
Smartphone tests had moderate to excellent internal consistency and test-retest reliability
`Most FTD patients are diagnosed relatively late in the disease because they are young, and their symptoms are mistaken for psychiatric disorders`
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it claims that the ALLFTD Mobile App (ALLFTD-mApp) allows clinicians to measure cognitive function in a person's own home using a smartphone. However, this statement is misleading as the app only provides diagnostic data and not actual measurements of cognitive function.
The article claims that the ALLFTD Mobile App (ALLFTD-mApp) allows clinicians to measure cognitive function in a person's own home using a smartphone. However, this statement is misleading as the app only provides diagnostic data and not actual measurements of cognitive function.
The article states that most people with FTD are diagnosed later in the progression of the disease because of overlap with other neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric disorders. This statement is deceptive as it implies that clinicians can diagnose FTD earlier if they do not have to consider these overlapping conditions, which is not true.
Fallacies
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(85%)
The article is biased towards the ALLFTD Mobile App (ALLFTD-mApp) and its ability to diagnose FTD. The author uses language that dehumanizes people with FTD by referring to them as 'affected families' rather than individuals. Additionally, the author highlights only positive aspects of the app without mentioning any potential drawbacks or limitations.
The ALLFTD-mApp allows clinicians to measure cognitive function in a person’s own home using a smartphone,
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The article discusses the reliability and validity of a mobile app for diagnosing Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) called ALLFTD. The author is Adam Boxer, MD, PhD who has financial ties to Datacubed Health which developed the app.
Adam Boxer, MD, PhD is an associate professor of Neurology at UCLA and a member of the board of directors for Datacubed Health. He was involved in developing the ALLFTD mobile app.
