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Everyone experiences stress at some point in their lives. But prolonged periods of stress can have an impact on our cognitive functioning. Early assessment can assist in identifying patients who are experiencing significant levels of stress which are impacting on their ability to work, their mood, body and relationships. As well as providing a marker for gaps in other cognitive areas that could suggest underlying problems. So what is stress? Stress is defined as: “the body's reaction to feeling threatened or under pressure. It's very common, can be motivating to help us achieve things in our daily life, and can help us meet the demands of home, work and family life. But too much stress can affect our mood, our body and our relationships – especially when it feels out of our control.” (NHS). According to research, One in 14 UK adults (7%) feel stressed every single day (CIPHR) and the most common cause of stress is work-related stress with 79% saying they frequently felt it (Statistica). Is there a link between stress and dementia? There is ongoing research into the links between stress and dementia, which highlight that: Stress can have an impact on the bodies immune system (Alzheimer’s Society), which can have a causative role in developing dementia, whilst Long-term stress can lead to depression and anxiety which has been shown to increase the risk of developing dementia Individual’s experiencing PTSD may have a higher risk of developing dementia https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2933793/ But in each case there is no definite cause and effect - which is why early assessment and detection play such an important role. Why early screening and detection matters With the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic already being seen on the mental health of the younger generation, and the impact of global changes in the economy - the impact of long-term stress against the short term will be one to be reviewed and managed. A baseline measure can be a valuable marker to gauge how patients are responding to changes in stress overtime and the impact it is having on them. Cognitive function is a key factor for good health By using Mindmore to screen and test cognitive functioning, primary, specialist and occupational health professionals can track marked changes over time and thereby assist with follow-up appointments, medical testing, return to work practices and rehabilitation where appropriate. Read more about how Mindmore's tools have been developed to make the test experience as simple as possible for patients and give you the insights you need to support them. https://www.mindmore.com/en/f%C3%B6retagsh%C3%A4lsov%C3%A5rd If you, your clinic, or your research team need more information and want to get access to the Mindmore tool. Contact us now or write to us at info@mindmore.com Our team is always available. References: NHS - https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-health-issues/stress/#what-is CIPHR - https://www.ciphr.com/workplace-stress-statistics/ Statista - https://www.statista.com/statistics/1134359/common-types-of-stress-in-the-uk/ Psychiatry UK - https://psychiatry-uk.com/what-is-the-evidence-linking-stress-to-dementia/ NCBI - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2933793/

Acquired brain injury includes all situations in which brain injury has occurred since birth [Headway] and includes injury such as tumour, stroke, meningitis as well as traumatic brain injury (TBI) which are injuries caused by an impact to the head; for example after a fall or a blow. In rarer cases, a traumatic brain injury can also occur after a very strong head movement. A concussion is a mild type of traumatic brain injury. The injury or injuries lead to bleeding in or around the brain and can, depending on the degree of severity and which parts of the brain are affected, lead to permanent impairments within several cognitive domains. Areas of cognition that can be affected by ABI There are a number of areas which can be affected by ABI - these can also differ depending on age - children with ABI may experience different styles as their brain is still developing. Some complex cognitive skills which are often affected include: Judgement, reasoning, problem-solving and self-monitoring. In addition, a traumatic brain injury can, among other things, give rise to long-term emotional problems, depression, balance problems and hypersensitivity to strong sounds and light. An upward trend Concerningly, UK data from 2019-20 highlights an upward trend in ABI and hospital admissions. Headway highlights that there is: one admission to hospital for brain injury every 90 seconds one head injury every three minutes one stroke every four minutes in the UK. All ABIs have increased by 12% since 2005-06, with there being 356,699 admissions to hospital in 2019-20. There is also an increase in incidents of ABI among women and a 14% increase in total strokes since 2005-06. Rehabilitation pathways Assessment and perspectives of rehabilitation pathways are essential to individuals with ABI to ensure they have the support they need. This could be from support with daily life, mental health, access to education, benefits and workplace adjustments to name a few. Mindmore provides a range of tests digitally packaged that can assist with cognitive testing investigation, enabling healthcare professionals to provide patient-centred pathways and support. If you, your clinic, or your research team need more information and want to get access to the Mindmore tool. Contact us now or write to us at info@mindmore.com Our team is always available. Further reading: Headway updates: Headway

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that affects the central nervous system and causes inflammation in parts of the brain and spinal cord. Current research suggests that there are over 130,000 people with MS in the UK, with nearly 7,000 people newly diagnosed each year. [MS Society]. MS is also nearly three times more common in women than men. Physical symptoms vs cognitive problems MS patients can have a wide range of neurological symptoms and it is common to see many differences between affected individuals. Often, visual disturbance in one eye (due to optic nerve inflammation) is the first symptom. While other common symptoms are: Numbness and loss of sensation Decreased muscle strength Decreased coordination ability Memory problems and other cognitive impairments Loss of feeling Fatigue Muscle stiffness Mood swings and depression Incontinence In the UK people are most likely to find out they have MS between their 30s-50s, but first signs often start years earlier. The disease usually flares up and becomes progressive after 15–20 years. Even early progressive forms without any previous elements of relapse occur. Cognitive functioning and MS Whilst physical symptoms are often prioritised in terms of how to treat patients with MS, it is important to assess cognitive functioning as changes in individuals with MS are common. Up to two-thirds of the people who have MS develop problems with thinking, learning, and memory, [Journal Cerebrum]. Areas of cognitive functioning which may be affected include: Memory Attention and concentration Problem-solving Abstract reasoning Visual-spatial abilities Verbal fluency. “What is often ignored are the cognitive problems people with MS experience: memory issues, thinking more slowly, and mental fatigue…All of these symptoms can have a negative impact on the person, and can affect their daily lives in a significant way,” Helen Genova, PhD, assistant director of the Kessler Foundation's Center for Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Research in New Jersey. Screening cognitive functioning gives a baseline measurement Early assessment of cognitive functioning is key, it provides a baseline measurement for any changes and successes in rehabilitation to be tracked against. Changes to cognitive functioning can affect an individual's quality of life, employment, relationships and activities. The National MS Society (US) recommends that individuals with MS should be “screened for cognitive dysfunction by their healthcare provider at least once a year”; this should increase in frequency if there are changes in function at work or home. However, currently in the UK most MS clinics do not routinely screen for cognitive problems - having longer term impacts for any intervention plans put in place at later dates. Cognitive rehabilitation plans could involve supporting patients with MS by providing strategies and processes that may support areas such as memory and language development. A ‘top 10’ research priority The good news is that finding treatments for cognitive problems in MS is classed as a ‘top 10’ research priority, and there are a number of research programs underway that look at MS and cognitive assessment. Many have already highlighted that current cognitive assessments are focused on pen and paper formats, are time consuming and high in time-cost impact for clinicians. There is a clear need for timely assessment in order for interventions that make use of technological advancements to be put in place. This is where Mindmore’s digital assessment can play an important role in providing a range of tests that healthcare providers can administer remote or on-site, to assess patients' cognitive functioning from the outset of diagnosis through rehabilitation and beyond. If you, your clinic, or your research team need more information and want to get access to the Mindmore tool. Contact us now or write to us at info@mindmore.com Our team is always available. References https://www.mssociety.org.uk/research https://www.dana.org/article/cognitive-impairment-in-multiple-sclerosis/ https://kesslerfoundation.org/aboutus/Helen-Genova https://pilotfeasibilitystudies.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40814-022-01073-5 https://www.everydayhealth.com/multiple-sclerosis/guide/resources https://www.nationalmssociety.org/

When we talk about cognitive assessment, Alzheimer's disease often comes up. In a survey conducted by Alzheimer’s Association in 12 countries, 59% believed that Alzheimer's was a natural part of aging, and 40% did not think it was fatal. Therefore they don't seek care. Other challenges with cognitive assessment are that it takes a long time to discover minor differences in people´s cognitive function and in oneself, and therefore people with small or minor changes do not seek the care they need and can get. In addition, 55% of those aged 45 and over, who had felt deterioration in their cognition had not talked to their doctor about the problem. Alejandra Machado, Jens Berggren, and Chris Hall talked about what we can and should do in healthcare and for the patient. Cognitive assessment should be done EARLIER. Do not wait until the patient comes to us, let's reach the person before she becomes a "patient". Healthcare systems today are slow, and many people are in a long queue for help or are sent around before getting the assessment needed. Today dementia is discovered too late, and we at Mindmore, with many in the healthcare industry, think that it is incredibly important to test in time and identify early cognitive impairments before they reach difficulties related to pre-dementia stages. Now, with the tool of Mindmore, we can do that. Cognitive assessment should be an ESSENTIAL part of primary healthcare. The screening should always occur in healthcare. We measure the heart and lungs today and look at oxygen and cholesterol levels in the blood, and blood pressure in the body. Why not do the same with the brain - the body's MOST IMPORTANT organ! In the same way, we need to normalize a "baseline" for cognitive health in healthcare. For example, measuring your staff´s wellbeing is unbelievably large in occupational healthcare. Most important today is to add a cognitive test for stress. 40% of people getting sick is because of a psychological matter. If every person has a cognitive baseline from 35 years old (or even from a younger age). Mindmore can at scale easily detect individuals much earlier in their up-going stress level due to a normal view from the person's baseline, to provide help. As we should do. Cognitive assessment FOLLOW-UP implementation is the key to detecting minor changes after traumas. In healthcare, we should follow up when a major event impacts the patient's life, like a disease or a medical intervention. Healthcare must be able to capture, in a follow-up, how the brain is affected. For example, with COVID-19, studies are now being done on whether cognition has been affected in the form of cognitive fatigue. If these people already had a baseline before being affected by covid, we would have probably captured evidence of cognitive worsening immediately after undergoing COVID-19. With Mindmore healthcare can easily follow-up on cognitive changes. Mindmore can accelerate testing and automate administration for healthcare personnel to enable people to access early assessment for cognition. We are doing this through 23 cognitive tests to help in the assessment of dementia, ADHD, stress, depression, prolonged stress, fatigue syndrome, or occupational health checkups. If you, your clinic, or your research team need more information and want to get access to the Mindmore tool. Contact us now. Our team is always available. Contact us here or write to us at info@mindmore.com References: https://act.alz.org/site/DocServer/Policy_Brief_-_Early_Detection_and_Diagnosis_Brief__Assn.pdf