The Updated MCI Screener: More Approachable Tasks, Same Powerful Insights

Cognitive decline is often underdiagnosed or detected too late—despite dementia being a leading cause of disability and death among older adults (Alzheimer’s Association, 2025). To help close that gap, last year Creyos launched a digital screener to detect early signs of impairment as part of its mild cognitive impairment (MCI) protocol.

Now, based on real-world use and provider feedback, the screener has been updated to better fit clinical workflows and serve a broader patient population. This article outlines what’s new, why it matters, and the science behind the update.

What’s Changed and Why It Matters

The original screener used two tasks, Double Trouble and Number Ladder, to quickly measure skills across two core areas of cognition. Double Trouble is a well-researched task that helps measure response inhibition, a key part of concentration. 

While it offers valuable insights, Double Trouble relies on reading comprehension–making it more challenging for patients with lower literacy or more advanced cognitive impairment. 

In these cases, testing takes longer and often requires more hands-on support from providers—reducing efficiency and undermining the goal of a self-led assessment. In some instances, patients aren’t able to complete the screener at all, which means early signs of cognitive decline may be missed.

To address these challenges, the updated screener uses tasks that are easier for patients to understand and complete—without compromising its accuracy. 

An Overview of the Updated MCI Screener

In the upcoming update, Feature Match will replace Double Trouble in the two-task MCI screener. Feature Match is a well validated cognitive task in the Creyos battery that reliably measures aspects of the same cognitive domain—concentration— but is easier for patients to understand and complete on their own. 

Unlike Double Trouble, Feature Match doesn’t rely on reading comprehension or verbal ability. Instead, patients compare sets of shapes to see if there’s a match. A machine learning algorithm analyses different parts of how the patient performed throughout testing, like speed and accuracy, to identify individuals showing signs of age-related cognitive impairment.

What Providers and Patients can Expect With This Update

Overall, the updated screener uses a more approachable set of tasks for a simpler testing experience, while maintaining the same accuracy as before. 

As a provider using the updated screener, you can expect:

1. Broader reach and accessibility
   Because the updated screener is easier to understand and doesn’t rely on reading comprehension, it’s more accessible to a broader and more diverse range of patients—including those with lower literacy or more advanced cognitive impairment.
2. Improved clinical efficiency
   With an easier-to-understand task, patients require less support to complete the screener, reducing staff burden and ensuring workflows remain efficient. 
3. The same accuracy and reliability
   Rigorous validation confirms that the updated screener retains the same sensitivity and specificity as the original version, making it just as reliable for detecting meaningful cognitive changes as before.

Designed for Care, Built on Science  

The Creyos science team validated the screener using Feature Match instead of Double Trouble by examining data from over 5000 individuals, including both healthy adults and those with confirmed dementia. We compared assessment outcomes across both versions to ensure accuracy and consistency. The analysis confirmed that the change in tasks does not compromise clinical validity, giving providers confidence that:

• Sensitivity and specificity remain high: The updated screener continues to identify individuals with cognitive impairment as accurately as before, while minimizing false positives among healthy adults. The data on the accuracy is covered in Urian et al. (2025), currently in preprint. 
• Results are consistent across versions: When individuals were assessed with both the original and updated screeners, the results were highly consistent, showing that an individual’s results are almost always aligned across versions.
• Historical data remains valid: Results from the previous screener will stay available in the Creyos platform and can be used alongside new assessments to inform ongoing care planning.

The Screener That Saves Time—Without Sacrificing Science

Some providers and health systems have already started to use this new version of the screener. They report that the updated task set takes about 30% less time to complete. On average, it’s finished in under five minutes, with no setup, manual scoring, or clinician supervision required. It offers the efficiency of pen-and-paper screeners–but with the benefit of digital precision and patient-led delivery. 

A Smarter First Step in Dementia Detection

As the demand for earlier and more efficient dementia detection grows, the updated Creyos screener rises to meet these needs by making it easier for providers to catch signs of cognitive decline sooner. With a set of scientifically validated tasks designed to be more approachable to patients, it maintains clinical accuracy while increasing real-world usability.  

References 

Alzheimer's Association. (2025). Alzheimer's disease facts and figures. Alzheimer's Association. Retrieved May 4, 2025, from https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures

Urian, D. M., Gupta, G., Battista, M., Wild, C. J., & Owen, A. M. (2025). Early cognitive screening for individuals on the Alzheimer’s disease continuum. PsyArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/e7hpu_v1