Introduction: We investigated the feasibility and validity of the remotely-administered neuropsychological battery from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set (UDS T-Cog).
Methods: Two hundred twenty Penn Alzheimer's Disease Research Center participants with unimpaired cognition, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia completed the T-Cog during their annual UDS evaluation. We assessed administration feasibility and diagnostic group differences cross-sectionally across telephone versus videoconference modalities, and compared T-Cog to prior in-person UDS scores longitudinally.
Results: Administration time averaged 54 min and 79% of participants who initiated a T-Cog completed all 12 subtests; completion time and rates differed by diagnostic group but not by modality. Performance varied expectedly across groups with moderate to strong associations between most T-Cog measures and in-person correlates, although select subtests demonstrated lower comparability.
Discussion: The T-Cog is feasibly administered and shows preliminary validity in a cognitively heterogeneous cohort. Normative data from this cohort should be expanded to more diverse populations to enhance utility and generalizability.
Highlights: This study examined the feasibility and validity of the remote Uniform Data Set (also known as the T-Cog) and contributes key normative data for widespread use.A remote neuropsychological battery was feasibly administered with high overall engagement and completion rates, adequate reliability compared to in-person testing, and evidence of validity across diagnostic groups.Typical barriers to administration included hearing impairment, technology issues, and distractions; hearing difficulties were particularly common among cognitively impaired groups.Certain tests were less closely related to their in-person correlates and should be used with caution.
Keywords: Alzheimer's Disease Research Center; COVID‐19; T‐Cog; Uniform Data Set; accessibility; digital neuropsychology; normative data; teleneuropsychology.
© 2024 The Author(s). Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring published by Wiley Periodicals, LLC on behalf of Alzheimer's Association.