Risk Education Technology As Individualized Neuroprotection

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a public health crisis with few effective treatments. Most people are unaware that AD begins in the brain decades before the first symptoms of memory loss begin. That leaves a lot of time for people to learn their individual risk factors for AD and cognitive decline and take memory assessment screening tests in an effort toward the prevention or delay of dementia. To reach a growing at-risk population, mobile health technologies accessible via cell phone can fill an unmet need due to their accessibility and cost-effective delivery of care. Online education and text messaging have proven to be effective methods of reducing risk for a variety of chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes, which are both key drivers of AD risk.

The investigators created a cell phone-based online software application to provide automated, individualized monitoring and education at broad scale. The goal of the software is to function as a digital therapeutic to identify individual risk factors, assess memory and cognitive function over time, and provide education to people with a family history of AD. The system maintains bi-directional communication via text message to verify participant engagement.

Potential participants who visit our study website (www.RetainYourBrain.com) will be directed to answer questions assessing eligibility criteria. Participants who are eligible are asked to electronically sign an informed consent form, complete baseline assessments, and take online word recall and card game cognitive tests. Participants will then be randomized to one of two groups using different strategies for AD risk assessment education. Researchers will track progress over six months and compare different strategies of education to determine if it is possible to protect brain health, reduce Alzheimer's risk, and improve memory function.