Alzheimer’s disease dementia, the most common form of dementia, accounts for an estimated 60 to 70% of cases worldwide. As the global population 65 and older grows rapidly, the number of patients is increasing just as quickly. To underscore the importance of Alzheimer’s care and raise awareness, the World Health Organization and Alzheimer’s Disease International designated September 21 as World Alzheimer’s Day.
Ahead of World Alzheimer’s Day, Samsung Newsroom is highlighting Samsung Research’s ongoing work on the early detection of dementia.
The Importance of Early Diagnosis
Alzheimer’s disease is incurable and irreversible. Once symptoms appear, cognitive function declines steadily — disrupting daily life in profound ways.
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), often considered a precursor to dementia, is of particular concern. Clinical tests reveal measurable cognitive decline in those with MCI, yet they remain capable of performing daily activities. According to studies cited by the Alzheimer’s Association, about 12 to 18% of people 60 and older live with MCI, and 10 to 15% of them progress to dementia each year. As a result, early detection and management of MCI has become a growing priority in the medical community.1,2
Multiple studies show that changes in the brain can begin 10 to 20 years before the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia.3 Therefore, detecting these early signs is critical. While recent advances in therapies have raised hopes for treatment, early diagnosis combined with ongoing care remains the most effective approach today.
The benefits of early detection include:
- Implementing lifestyle modifications — such as enhancing diet, engaging in exercise and promoting cognitive stimulation — to help delay disease progression.
- Starting drug and non-drug interventions earlier to preserve cognitive abilities
- Gaining access to new therapies including newly approved or trial-stage drugs
Tracking Change Through Digital Biomarker Technology
Smartphones and wearables have become essential in daily life, capturing detailed information about users’ habits and behaviors. Device data captures subtle routine changes with remarkable high sensitivity.
Recognizing this potential, researchers at Samsung Research developed digital biomarker technology that tracks changes in cognitive function by analyzing multimodal data from smartphones and wearables — including app usage, typing speed, messaging patterns, call frequency, sleep and voice.
Researchers proposed that digital biomarkers could measure symptoms of cognitive decline identified in prior studies. By analyzing multimodal smartphone and wearable data, they estimated cognitive states, confirming that digital biomarker algorithms effectively track cognitive changes.
Recalling and repeating short sentences can evaluate short-term memory-related brain regions, while assessing speech fluency and accuracy reveals the state of language ability. Likewise, the regularity and variety of app and messaging use, along with call frequency, can offer insights into social networks and the brain’s executive functions.
In short, the study demonstrated that brain regions responsible for language and short-term memory — typically impaired by Alzheimer’s disease — can be assessed through voice data. The findings also indicate that declines in social and behavioral abilities are associated with patterns of app use, messaging and call frequency.
Detecting Decline With Everyday Data
In July, the Samsung Research team presented studies on smart device–based technologies for detecting cognitive decline at the International Conference of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ (IEEE) Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) in Copenhagen, Denmark.
One study introduced technology that analyzes smartphone keyboard input patterns to detect early signs of cognitive impairment. The research prioritized analyzing nonverbal features like typing speed and correction patterns over examining user input to minimize privacy risks. The language-independent approach demonstrated significant global potential, and the paper ranked within the top 7% of papers presented at the conference.
Another study analyzed data from smartphones and Galaxy Watch sensors to monitor walking patterns — including gait speed, stride length and balance — for early detection of cognitive decline.
Both studies demonstrate performance comparable to hospital-based dementia screening tests by leveraging everyday behavioral data, eliminating the need for additional user input, and showcasing the potential to track cognitive changes through routine data.
Improving Quality of Life Using Technology
Digital biomarker technology is designed to improve the early detection of subtle signs of Alzheimer’s Disease that might otherwise go unnoticed in daily life. Samsung Research plans to continue validating the performance of its digital biomarker models while further advancing the technology.
Although continued collaboration with academia and the medical field is required for further refinement and improved accuracy, advances in early detection of dementia are anticipated to improve personal health, enhance quality of life and alleviate pressure on healthcare systems. Further research with academia and the medical community is needed for validation and enhanced accuracy, but ongoing advancements in this technology are expected to enhance personal health and quality of life while reducing the strain on healthcare systems.
* Alzheimer’s disease is an underlying pathology in which amyloid-β and tau proteins build up in the brain.
** Alzheimer’s disease dementia is dementia caused by Alzheimer’s disease.
1 Petersen RC et al., “Mild cognitive impairment: clinical characterization and outcome,” Archives of Neurology (1999). Available at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10190820/.
2 Petersen RC et al., “Current concepts in mild cognitive impairment,” Archives of Neurology (2001). Available at https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/article-abstract/781015.
3 Jack CR Jr, et al., “NIA-AA Research Framework: Toward a biological definition of Alzheimer’s disease,” Alzheimer’s & Dementia (2018). Available at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29653606/.