How CognoMND™ can help
Thinking and behaviour can change with MND. Discover how CognoMND helps detect these changes earlier.
In this short film, the project’s lead researchers explain how CognoMND™ can help healthcare professionals, patients, and carers recognise changes in thinking and behavior caused by Motor Neuron Disease (MND) at a much earlier stage.
While MND is primarily linked to movement, many people also experience cognitive changes that can be harder to identify. These changes may affect planning, communication, or personality, and they are not always picked up during routine appointments.
By identifying these cognitive shifts, CognoMND™ helps people living with MND better understand how the disease is affecting them, allowing them to seek the right support at the right time.
About CognoMND™
CognoMND™ is an innovative digital screening tool developed at the University of Sheffield, in partnership with the NIHR Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre, the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Long-Term Conditions (Devices for Dignity), and University of Edinburgh. It appears as a virtual agent on a laptop and asks carefully designed questions. Using artificial intelligence, the system analyses patterns in a person’s speech to look for subtle signs of thinking change.
Credits
- Senior Investigator: Dr Daniel Blackburn (Senior Clinical Lecturer at Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN))
- Senior Investigator: Professor Christopher McDermott (Professor of Translational Neurology at Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN)
- Dr Leslie Ing (Clinical Research Fellowship at Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN))
- Dr Emily Mayberry (Senior Clinical Psychologist Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN))
- Dr Alys Wyn Griffiths (Senior Research Fellow at Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN))
- Dr Esther Hobson (Senior Lecturer in Neurology at Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN))
- Professor Heidi Christensen (Head of School of Computer Science at the University of Sheffield)
- Dr Bahman Mirheidari (Research Fellow at at the University of Sheffield)
- Professor Sharon Abrahams (Professor of Neuropsychology at the University of Edinburgh)
- Lise Sproson (Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Lead at Devices for Dignity)
- Dr Clare Bartlett (Theme Manager at Devices for Dignity)
- Filmmaker: Will Armson
Thank you to the CognoMND participants, lived experience advisory group, researchers/co-researchers and collaborators as well as funding from the self-funded medical research organisation, LifeArc.