Rodney A Swenson, PhD

If primary care clinicians are to meet the cognitive screening demands that are growing with an aging population, they need the sharpest tools in the box, this expert says.

A cognitive health assessment will soon be as routine as taking blood pressure or pulse ox, says neurocognitive researcher David J Libon, PhD. He talks more about that future.

Acoustic variables, like shimmer and jitter, that are typically undetectable in human speech can be detected with tablet technology and serve as biomarkers for mental acuity.

In this short conversation, Libon underscores how time-based measures during assessment can reflect subtle neurocognitive changes, augmenting traditional screening.

Swenson focused on the precision afforded by digital tools in assessing human behavior and identifying preclinical signs of cognitive impairment.

Libon, a professor at the New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging at Rowan University, says the refined approach to cognitive assessment is widely available.