UCSF and Samsung Launch Ambitious 1,000-Subject Remote Trial to Map Brain Aging Through Wearable Technology
核心洞察
The TAH-DA longitudinal study, a collaboration between UCSF Neuroscape (搜索) and Samsung (搜索), aims to enroll 1,000 adults aged 40–89 to identify biometric predictors of cognitive decline (搜索) over one year.
Participants will wear Samsung (搜索) Galaxy Watches for continuous passive monitoring of heart rate, ECG, blood pressure, sleep architecture, and body composition, paired with tablet-based cognitive assessments and interventions.
The fully remote trial leverages the Nexus clinical trials platform and represents what researchers call "the most technologically ambitious remote trial" ever attempted by the center.
A landmark collaboration between the Neuroscape research center at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and consumer electronics giant Samsung (搜索) is set to redefine how brain aging is studied—moving neuroscience out of the laboratory and into the fabric of everyday life. The Technology for Aging Health – Digital Approaches (TAH-DA) longitudinal study, which began recruiting participants across North America in early 2026, aims to enroll 1,000 adults spanning five decades of life to identify biometric predictors of cognitive decline (搜索) using commercial wearable technology.
The study is part of Samsung (搜索)'s Open Innovation Initiative, a strategic program designed to accelerate innovation by collaborating with leading universities, hospitals, research institutions, and startups to support the development of next-generation digital health solutions.
"With this rich dataset, we will be able to determine which passive, biometric measures are associated with cognitive assessments, as well as test the effects of our evidence-based, digital interventions in boosting cognitive function in adults across their lifespans," said Joaquin A. Anguera of Neuroscape. "Unlike traditional neuroscience studies, which often use highly controlled, simplified stimuli and static laboratory environments, modern approaches look to study human cognition in real-world contexts and in real-time."
Study Design and Enrollment
The TAH-DA study seeks to enroll 200 adults from each decade of life between the ages of 40 and 89, creating a comprehensive cross-sectional and longitudinal portrait of cognitive aging. After enrolling, participants are randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group and receive a Samsung (搜索) Galaxy Watch and a Galaxy Tab A9.
The Galaxy Watch passively records a comprehensive suite of health metrics 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for a full year. These include heart rate, electrocardiogram (ECG) data, blood pressure, blood oxygen levels, body composition via bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), skin temperature, and detailed sleep architecture. Daily activity tracking, such as step counts, is also captured continuously.
Digital Interventions and Cognitive Assessments
Alongside passive biometric monitoring, participants engage in cognitively challenging digital interventions—proprietary neuro-games designed and developed at Neuroscape—delivered via the Samsung (搜索) Galaxy Tab A9. These interventions have already demonstrated positive influences on cognitive abilities that diminish with age, according to the researchers.
To map long-term neuroplastic changes, participants complete a suite of custom-built digital cognitive assessments at three critical time points: before the study begins, immediately following the intervention phase, and at a nine-month post-trial follow-up.
A Fully Remote Trial Platform
The study operates entirely remotely through Nexus, a Neuroscape-developed clinical trials platform that enables online deployment of all study-related activities, including enrollment, consent, diagnostic assessments, and digital interventions. The project also includes partnerships with Helpsquad (搜索), which provides participants access to both an AI chatbot and a virtual assistant, and didit.me (搜索), which assists with identification verification during the enrollment process.
"We are thrilled to partner with Samsung (搜索) on this research project, which combines its wearable technology and tablets with our software to study cognition in the real world," said Adam Gazzaley, executive director of Neuroscape. "This academic-industry partnership is driving the most technologically ambitious remote trial we've ever attempted and will generate a unique perspective on human aging."
Toward Predictive Digital Biomarkers
Mobile phones and wearables have become essential in daily life, capturing detailed information about users' habits and behaviors with remarkable sensitivity. The researchers at Samsung (搜索) and UCSF aim to harness this capability to develop digital biomarker technology that can track and predict changes in cognitive function. The ultimate goal is to create deployable algorithms capable of intercepting cognitive decline (搜索) through continuous, passive biometric monitoring.
"We are happy to have Neuroscape's digital interventions combined with our technology to enhance the digital health ecosystem and create new approaches to well-being," said Praveen Raja, Vice President of Digital Health at Samsung (搜索) Research America. "Using biometric data from our Galaxy Watch, we are excited to support the identification of behavioral and physiological predictors of cognitive decline (搜索), while looking toward digital interventions for improving cognition."
Theodore Zanto of Neuroscape added: "With this new study, we hope to raise the bar for remote trials. Building off our past work, we continue to push the bounds of neurotechnology, looking to create neuroscience-based predictors of cognition across the adult lifespan, as well as new digital treatments."