The Psychology Digest

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The growing number of clinical trials and increasing number of drugs in the pipeline are reasons for optimism in the quest for new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). At the same time, there are concerns that many of the clinical assessments used to evaluate cognition are no longer fit for purpose.

Alzheimer’s researcher Jeffrey Cummings, MD, a neurologist and research professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, notes, “The assessments often date from the 1970s and 1980s, when we had a much less thorough understanding of early disease presentation.” Digital testing offers a solution.

In a new episode of a Pearson-sponsored podcast series, “The Progress Profile: Alzheimer’s Research in Focus,” Cummings joined moderator John Harrison, Ph.D., CPsychol, CSci, AFBPsS, an associate professor at Alzheimercentrum, AUmc, Amsterdam, to share his thoughts on the role of digital testing in Alzheimer’s disease.

Tracking cognitive functioning remains a critical part of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and dementia research. When used properly, COAs offer valuable insights into patients’ conditions, helping researchers track patients’ progress and assess a drug’s efficacy throughout clinical trials.

However, choosing suboptimal scales can be catastrophic for clinical research. The cognitive scales used in the majority of clinical trials for AD, for example, have been pivotal to the failure of 98% of Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials.

In this blog, we’ll discuss how COAs can make or break clinical trial outcomes and share how sponsors can select the optimal scales for their AD clinical research programs.

Growth scale values (GSVs) have gained traction as a more precise option for measuring outcomes in clinical trials.

If you're an occupational or physical therapist, you probably spend a lot of your day thinking, talking, and reading about motor skills. But have you ever come across the term “Fundamental Movement Skills”? Until recently, I hadn't, but it turns out there is a whole body of literature devoted to studying and discussing this construct that is, well, fundamental to children's ability to engage in play, recreation and activities of daily life. Sounds pretty relevant to what we do, right?

Over the last ten years, the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-3), a leading developmental assessment for children ages 1–42 months, has been referenced as an endpoint in 145 clinical trials (Citeline, 2024). Of those, 6.21% have included sites in the Finno-Ugric countries of Estonia, Finland, and Hungary.

There’s a lot happening over here as we develop the new WAIS-5 A&NZ. We wanted to share our latest updates as we get closer to releasing this new assessment. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale®, Fifth Edition: Australian and New Zealand Language Standardised Edition (WAIS®-5 A&NZ) is the most advanced psychometric measure of cognitive abilities and now it can be administered in less time. And that is not all! WAIS-5 A&NZ also features updated norms, expanded clinical utility, and improved user experience.

Check out the latest details on these enhancements, plus learn about five of the new subtests.

The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency™, Third Edition (BOT™-3) is one of the most-anticipated product updates of the year, and we know you’ve got questions! We sat down with the BOT-3 authors, Drs. Brett and Bob Bruininks, to talk about customer- and research-led updates to this widely used motor skills assessment, and all the new features you can expect to see when it releases later this year.

Case study: Sensory Profile 2

Questions answered by Lancaster University Lecturer, Dr Calum Hartley, and Lancaster University student with ASD, Mollie Lee.