Brain Health Assessment Partner: Cogniciti

One of the components of the i-Forget pilot study is a cognitive assessment. This assessment will allow us to correlate current cognitive functioning with the other components of the study, including the fecal and saliva bio-samples and the general health survey. Combined, these data points will help us determine the relationships, if any, between genes, gut microbiota, and brain health.

Our partner Cogniciti is providing the brain health assessment for the i-Forget study. This Canadian-based company is currently a subsidiary of Baycrest, home to the Rotman Research Institute, one of the world’s top research institutes in cognitive neuroscience. We are pleased to have Larissa McKetton, who holds the position of Neuroscientist and Director of Scientific and Clinical Development at Baycrest, as is a member of the i-Forget Scientific Advisory Board. 

Cogniciti’s online Brain Health Assessment tool measures memory and goal-oriented behaviour (known as executive functioning). Within these two categories, four groups of exercises assess the following: 

Spatial Working Memory

• The information we hold in our minds while completing cognitive tasks (e.g., asking for directions and remembering them as you navigate to your destination).

Associative Memory

• The ability to learn and remember the relationships between unrelated items (e.g., remembering someone’s face along with their name after meeting them).

Selective Attention

• An aspect of executive functioning that measures the capacity to exercise cognitive control and manage conflicting information, focusing on relevant stimuli while filtering out distractions (e.g., being able to drive a car while listening to the radio).

Cognitive Flexibility 

• A combination of cognitive flexibility, selective attention, and processing speed that evaluates overall goal-oriented abilities (e.g., organizing a team project by balancing tasks like assigning roles, tracking deadlines, and adapting plans based on team feedback).

Cogniciti’s private and secure online tool collects information from test-takers about their demographic background, current cognitive concerns, family history of cognitive disorder, and personal history of conditions that could impact cognition.

In addition to the health questions, test-takers also complete four cognitive tasks. The tool is sensitive to the subtle cognitive changes associated with normal aging and mild cognitive impairment. The assessment takes about 15-20 minutes to complete, and test-takers will receive a separate email a few days after the completion of the test with their brain health score and a brief explanation of the result. 

The test has been scientifically validated for adults between 20-94 years. More than 135,000 individuals have taken the online assessment.

The data resulting from i-Forget participants completing the Cogniciti Brain Health Assessment will not be shared with outside brain health researchers.  Cogniciti will, however, use the data internally to improve its testing platform. It will not have access to any personal identifying information.