Feasibility study of assessing the Preclinical Alzheimer Cognitive Composite (PACC) score via videoconferencing

The Preclinical Alzheimer Cognitive Composite (PACC) is a composite score which can detect the first signs of cognitive impairment, which can be of importance for research and clinical practice. It is designed to be administered in person; however, in-person assessments are costly, and are difficult during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

To assess the feasibility of performing the PACC assessment with videoconferencing, and to compare the validity of this remote PACC with the in-person PACC obtained previously.

Participants from the HEalth and Ageing Data IN the Game of football (HEADING) Study who had already undergone an in-person assessment were re-contacted and re-assessed remotely. The correlation between the two PACC scores was estimated. The difference between the two PACC scores was calculated and used in multiple linear regression to assess which variables were associated with a difference in PACC scores.

Of the 43 participants who were invited to this external study, 28 were re-assessed. The median duration in days between the in-person and the remote assessments was 236.5 days (7.9 months) (IQR 62.5). There was a strong positive correlation between the two assessments for the PACC score, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0·82 (95% CI 0·66, 0·98). The multiple linear regression found that the only predictor of the PACC difference was the time between assessments.

This study provides evidence on the feasibility of performing cognitive tests online, with the PACC tests being successfully administered through videoconferencing. This is relevant, especially during times when face-to-face assessments cannot be performed.