BHA-CS: A novel cognitive composite for Alzheimer's disease and related disorders
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INTRODUCTION: Composite scores based on psychometrically rigorous cognitive assessments are well suited for early diagnosis and disease monitoring. METHODS: We developed and cross-validated the Brain Health Assessment-Cognitive Score (BHA-CS), based on a brief computerized battery, in 451 cognitively normal (CN) and 399 cognitively impaired (mild cognitive impairment [MCI] or dementia) older adults. We investigated its long-term reliability and reliable change indices at longitudinal follow-up (N = 340), and the association with amyloid beta (Aβ) burden in the CN subgroup with Aβ positron emission tomography (N = 119). RESULTS: The BHA-CS was accurate at detecting cognitive impairment and exhibited excellent long-term stability. Reliable decline over one year was detected in 75% of participants with dementia, 44% with MCI, and 3% of CN. Among CN, the Aβ-positive group showed worse longitudinal performance on the BHA-CS compared to the Aβ-negative group. DISCUSSION: The BHA-CS is sensitive to cognitive decline in preclinical and prodromal neurodegenerative disease.
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Large language models can act as collaborative partners that help clinicians interpret familiar clinical information by incorporating current evidence and highlighting subtle patterns that might be missed in busy settings.
“LLMs can serve as collaborative partners that help clinicians interpret familiar clinical information (e.g., neuroimaging, laboratory results, and clinical notes) by incorporating the latest evidence-based information and highlighting subtle patterns that might be overlooked in busy clinical settings.45–47”
From Review of Artificial Intelligence for Clinical Use in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (2026) · cites this paper as [47]
The Introduction and Methods discuss a cognitive composite for detecting and monitoring decline in Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. Searches for large language models, clinical decision support, and the claimed use of current evidence or subtle clinical patterns found no passage addressing those capabilities. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.78)
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- Authors
- Tsoy, E., Erlhoff, S. J., Goode, C. A., Dorsman, K. A., Kanjanapong, S., Lindbergh, C. A., La Joie, R., Strom, A., Rabinovici, G. D., Lanata, S. C., Miller, B. L., Tomaszewski Farias, S. E., Kramer, J. H., Rankin, K. P., & Possin, K. L.
- Affiliations
- University of California, San Francisco (US)
- Department of Neurology, Memory and Aging Center University of California San Francisco San Francisco California USA
- Department of Neurology University of California Davis Sacramento California USA
- Corresponding author
- Possin, Katherine L.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2020-01
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- e12042-e12042
- ISSN
- 2352-8729 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7306517
- OpenAlex
- W3036059671
- Cited by
- 38
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 3
- FWCI
- 3.10
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Alzheimer s & Dementia Diagnosis Assessment & Disease Monitoring (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (UG3 NS105557‐01)
- National Institute on Aging (P30AG062422, P01AG019724, P30AG010129)
- Alzheimer's Association (AARF‐16‐443577)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Cancer-related cognitive impairment studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Psychological Testing and Assessment
- Keywords
- Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, dementia, computerized cognitive assessment, amyloid-beta, amyloid PET, cognitive decline, reliable change index, preclinical Alzheimer's disease, prodromal neurodegeneration, older adults
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