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MindWorks
Protecting the cognitive skills of people with Mild Cognitive Impairment
What is MindWorks?
MindWorks is an interactive software tool designed specifically for people suffering from Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in order to delay or prevent the onset of dementia. Mindworks is based on scientific evidence that exercising cognitive abilities can prevent progression from MCI to dementia, even in those who already have some degree of cognitive impairment.
How does it work?
MindWorks will provide an environment in which users can test cognitive abilities and generally stimulate the brain whilst at the same time receiving feedback via measurements designed to track performance. More specifically, MindWorks’ technology will involve isolating and assessing many of the cognitive domains that are known to decline with MCI. The results of the assessment are sent, via the Internet, to a specially developed database. Each cognitive skill will be analysed and compared against age related norms for each user and, based on the results, a unique individualized training regime is sent back to the user. Systematic use of MindWorks is expected to improve a variety of cognitive abilities, thereby helping to delay the onset of dementia.
In order to enhance the user’s motivation MindWorks may include gaming elements that have been found to improve cognitive skills.
What is Mild Cognitive Impairment?
Many cognitive skills begin to deteriorate in most people as they age. The effects of this deterioration are generally measured on a continuum between normal ageing and early signs of dementia. For some people, however, the decline in cognitive abilities goes beyond that which is associated with normal ageing, yet does not meet the criteria for dementia. This transitional state is known as Mild Cognitive Impairment.
JigSaw
Assessing cognitive abilities MindWeavers has developed a jigsaw puzzle to be used as a tool to discriminate people with Mild Dementia from those without. The jigsaw program is useful to fulfil the need for more sensitive methods of detecting dementia in its earliest stages.
Although there are several tools which currently exist to provide a brief evaluation of possible cognitive impairment in older people, these invariably have limitations including their relative lack of reliability and validity, a high rate of false negative errors, the fact that they can make people feel anxious and uncomfortable and the often lengthy time taken for their administration. The Jigsaw aims to overcome these limitations.
The validity of JigSaw has already been determined in a preliminary study where it was benchmarked against the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) - the current gold standard screening tool.
JigSaw was designed to cover many cognitive abilities such as orientation, short-term memory, visual attention, executive function, information processing, motor skill and visuospatial skill-all abilities which have been shown to deteriorate in ageing and, perhaps, more importantly, in mild dementia.