Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42818458›Full record

ArticlemedRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences2026

Adaptation and Validation of Brief Tablet-Based Cognitive Assessment Tool in Uganda.

Roslyn Valdespino, Gabrielle Hromas, Chen-Pin Wang, Robert Paul, Noeline Nakasujja, Zahra Reynolds, Flavia Atwiine, Edna Tindimwebwa, Meredith Greene, Eliza Passell and 14 more

Abstract readPreprint
In one paragraph

Article in medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

24 authors.

Roslyn ValdespinoGlenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA.
Gabrielle HromasGlenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA.
Chen-Pin WangGlenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA.
Robert PaulUniversity of Missouri- St Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Noeline NakasujjaMakerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Zahra ReynoldsMassachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Boston, MA, USA.
Flavia AtwiineMbarara University of Science & Technology, Mbarara, Uganda.
Edna TindimwebwaKabwohe Clinical Research Centre, Sheema, Uganda.
Meredith GreeneIndiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, US.
Eliza PassellMassachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Boston, MA, USA.
Christine S RitchieMassachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Boston, MA, USA.
Susanne S HoeppnerMassachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Boston, MA, USA.
Alexander C TsaiMassachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Boston, MA, USA.
Janet SeeleyDepartment of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Amy WerryGlenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA.
Emi VarfajGlenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA.
Sudha SeshadriGlenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA.
Samson OkelloUniversity of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Stephen AsiimweMassachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Boston, MA, USA.
Deanna SaylorUniversity of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Katherine L PossinGlobal Brain Health Institute (GBHI), University of California San Francisco (UCSF).
Elena TsoyGlobal Brain Health Institute (GBHI), University of California San Francisco (UCSF).
Mark J SiednerMassachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Boston, MA, USA.
Jeremy A TannerGlenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA.

Funding

South Texas Alzheimer's Disease Research CenterP30AG066546 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCIENCE CENTER · PI Claudia Kimie Suemoto · 2021 to 2026
$24.0M
Quality of Life and Aging with HIV in Rural UgandaR01AG059504 · NIA · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI SIEDNER, MARK J · 2019 to 2023
$3.4M
Clinical Spectrum and Societal Impact of Cognitive Impairment with HIV in UgandaR56AG087790 · NIA · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI SIEDNER, MARK J · 2024 to 2024
$1.1M
Mentoring in patient-oriented research on the U.S. substance use and HIV syndemicK24DA061696 · NIDA · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI ALEXANDER C TSAI · 2024 to 2026
$640k
Bridging Gaps to Translate Plasma Alzheimer's Disease Biomarkers to Diverse PopulationsK08AG090815 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCIENCE CENTER · PI Jeremy Adam Tanner · 2025 to 2026
$326k
NIA NIH HHS K08 AG090815NIA NIH HHS P30 AG066546NIA NIH HHS R01 AG059504NIA NIH HHS R56 AG087790NIDA NIH HHS K24 DA061696
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Sub-Saharan Africa (sSA) faces accelerated growth in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRDs), including in older people living with HIV (PLWH). However, there are limited contextually relevant diagnostic tools to assess cognitive impairment in the region. The Tablet-based Cognitive Assessment Tool (TabCAT) is a digital platform hosting cognitive tests with automated scoring that can be administered by non-specialists and are designed for use across diverse cultures, languages, and education levels. We translated, adapted, and assessed the validity of a brief battery of TabCAT tests in the Uganda Aging and Dementia Cohort Study (UADCS), a prospective cohort of older PLWH and age- and sex-similar adults not living with HIV in southwestern Uganda. Methods: Four TabCAT tests were translated and culturally adapted through expert review and focus groups of adults at study sites. Psychometric validity was examined by assessing floor and ceiling effects, association with known demographic predictors, and concurrent and divergent validity against a reference-standard cognitive testing battery previously validated and employed in Uganda. Z-scores on all tests were derived using a regression-based normative approach to adjust for age, sex, education, urbanicity, and literacy. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were fit to assess the TabCAT Composite Score performance in discriminating objective cognitive impairment (defined using Jak/Bondi criteria) in the total sample, then stratified by HIV serostatus. Results: TabCAT tests were reported by local experts and focus groups to have acceptable face and content validity. Participants (n=563, mean age 60±6.4, 50% female, 51% did not complete primary school, 16% were not literate, 49% PLWH) completed the reference-standard and TabCAT battery. For TabCAT tests, there were no notable floor or ceiling effects, and test scores were associated with age and education as expected. Correlations between TabCAT and reference-standard tests were stronger in aligning cognitive domains (memory, executive function) than in non-aligning domains (motor). The TabCAT Composite Score discriminated cognitive impairment with good performance (c-statistic 0.77; 95% CI 0.72-0.81), including among PLWH. Discussion: TabCAT tests demonstrated face, content, construct, concurrent, and criterion validity for measuring cognition and detecting objective cognitive impairment among older adults in Uganda, including PLWH. These results support the potential of tablet-based brief cognitive assessment tools to measure cognitive performance and detect cognitive impairment in Uganda, including among older PLWH, and in populations with lower levels of education and literacy.

Indexed as

cognitive impairmentcognitive testing toolsdementiaHIVsub-Saharan Africatablet-basedUganda

Identifiers

PMID42818458
PMCPMC13622379

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.