Could it be Alzheimer’s? Czech scientists develop app to detect early memory problems
A team of Czech scientists has developed DigiDiadem, an app designed to help identify memory problems at an early stage. Using ten simple voice-based tasks and artificial intelligence, the system analyzes speech patterns that may indicate cognitive impairment or the onset of dementia.
The app was unveiled at the University of West Bohemia in Plzeň and is based on ten simple tasks that users complete by speaking their answers aloud. The system then analyzes both the content and speed of the responses, helping to identify possible cognitive impairment. One of the first users to try the application was Eva, who is over eighty years old:
“The tasks tested vision, hearing, attention, memory and cognitive abilities,” she says adding that, her result was slightly above average for her age group.
Training AI to recognize cognitive decline
To develop the application, researchers analyzed speech samples from around 300 people. According to neurologist Aleš Bartoš from the Královské Vinohrady University Hospital in Prague, one group consisted of healthy participants whose cognitive abilities had been verified using a standardized American neuropsychological test. The second group included patients treated at the hospital’s memory disorders clinic and at the Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University.
The researchers then used the results to teach the system to distinguish between speech patterns associated with healthy cognition and those linked to cognitive impairment or dementia.
“These results allowed us to train the application to recognize what a healthy response looks like and what a response from an affected person looks like,” Aleš Bartoš explained.
Users can take the test anonymously. They are asked to respond verbally to ten simple tasks, while the application records their speech. “The application records users’ speech, which is sent to the University of West Bohemia in Plzeň. There it is converted into text and analyzed using AI methods based on data collected from both healthy individuals and patients,” explains neurologist Bartoš.
A tool for early warning
The developers stress that the app is not intended to replace a medical diagnosis. Instead, it serves as a screening tool that can alert users to potential problems. “The main benefit is that a person either gains reassurance that their memory is functioning well, or learns that their memory may be weaker than it should be,” says Aleš Bartoš.
If the result suggests a possible problem, users are encouraged to consult a healthcare professional, beginning with their general practitioner, who can recommend further examination if necessary.
Three years in making
According to Luboš Šmídl from the Department of Cybernetics at the Faculty of Applied Sciences of the University of West Bohemia, the original goal was to digitize traditional paper-based cognitive tests.
“We have been working on the project for three years. Throughout that time, we carried out intensive data collection while simultaneously improving the individual technologies involved,” Šmídl said.
Researchers believe the technology could eventually be used in other areas of medicine as well. One possibility is helping assess patients recovering from stroke, where speech and cognitive abilities are often affected.
While DigiDiadem is the latest—and potentially a very valuable—tool being developed in Czechia to help people with memory problems, it is only one part of a much broader effort. Says Lucie Hájková of the Czech Alzheimer Society:
"As a social worker at the Alzheimer's Society. I consult with the families every single day. And I don't know everyone's stories, but I get a real glimpse of what people living with dementia and their families actually go through. It is absolutely true that the diagnostics have improved a lot. Clinicians have better tools and can recognize disease much earlier than the decade before. And still, in everyday reality, there are families that face some kind of barriers getting the diagnosis or proper after diagnostic support."
The next challenge is finding information and practical help. So, as Czech experts search for new ways to address Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, they stress that technology can help—but that people and support services remain just as important.
