The research behind Memory Exam
Published in medical journals
Memory Exam has been measured against standard neuropsychological assessment, and the results have been published in three medical journals:
- Neurology
- Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology
- Alzheimer's & Dementia
The studies were run with The Neurology Center of Southern California. Several of the co-authors do not work for Intraneuron.
What the studies measured
Two things, and the difference between them matters.
- Convergent validity. Do the exam’s results align with those from a full neuropsychological assessment conducted by a clinician? This is a standard way to evaluate how closely a new test measures what an established assessment measures..
- Classification agreement. When established screening tools place someone in a particular category, does this exam place them in the same category?
Neither question asks whether the exam can make a diagnosis. A screening test and a diagnostic test serve different purposes, and this exam is not intended to diagnose a medical condition.
What the studies found
A fifteen-minute exam you take by speaking out loud picked up early memory decline about as well as the full assessment a neuropsychologist gives, which takes several hours. That is the published conclusion, in the paper's own words: the exam is “equivalent in the detection of early cognitive decline”.
Seventy-five patients at a neurology practice took both. That matters more than the number does, because it means the comparison is the same people doing both things rather than two separate groups being measured against each other.
Equivalent is not the same as interchangeable. A neuropsychologist's evaluation looks at far more than memory and ends in a clinician's interpretation. This is a screen, and what it gives you is a first answer about your memory without the hours or the waiting list.
An earlier study of 73 patients compared the exam with the short pencil-and-paper screens used in clinic. The two kinds of test often disagreed about who had a problem. That study could not settle which of them was right, which is why the comparison against the full assessment was done next.
The publications
Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology
Alasantro L, Sadoff M, Nason A, Kaup A, Rosen J, Vignisson V, Sahagian G. Convergent Validity between Standard Neuropsychological Assessment and Web-Based Voice-Recognition Neuropsychological Assessment (Intraneuron). Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 12 September 2024.
In that study the exam's results lined up with standard neuropsychological testing carried out in person. The published abstract carries the full statistics.
Neurology
Sadoff M, Tretola A, Kaup A, Hall J, Alasantro L, Rosen J, Vignisson V, Sahagian G. Convergent Validity and Classification Agreement Between Traditional Cognitive Screening Instruments and a Novel, Electronic-based, Voice-recognition Cognitive Screening Tool. Neurology 2024;102(7_supplement_1).
Alzheimer's & Dementia
Rosen J, Alasantro LH, Wagner G, Sahagian G, Vignisson V. Hal, do I have memory problems? A pilot study investigating a voice recognition cognitive screening tool for detection of neuropsychological changes. Alzheimer's & Dementia 2021;17(S6).
A separate publication, about a different program
Intraneuron also builds and runs the software for the CMS GUIDE dementia care model at a community neurology practice. That work is published, as well, but it is about care coordination for people already living with dementia. It is not about Memory Exam, and it is not a consumer service.
Sahagian G, Vignisson V, Vidarsson T, Rojas I, Inocelda A. Implementing the CMS GUIDE Dementia Care Model in a Community Neurology Practice with Digital Tools, Standardized Scales and Embedded Clinical Trial Recruitment. Neurology, 9 June 2026.
