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DIgital markers of Social Cognition for diagnosis & pRognosis in Neurodegeneration (DISCeRN)

Project Overview

Impairments in social cognition (SC), such as difficulties in understanding emotions, social cues, and maintaining meaningful interactions, are key contributors to the loss of social inclusion and quality of life in individuals with neurodegenerative diseases (ND). Current clinical approaches related to SC fail to capture the dynamic nature of social interactions and show weak correlations with real-life measures. In addition, multiple confounding factors can render the traditional assessments of SC inapplicable in moderate to severe disease stages. In parallel, brain health is increasingly recognized as a global concern, yet a dedicated focus on social health is still needed to fully understand the interplay of biological to environmental (exposome) factors shaping resilience or risk factors related to social life. By examining how these influences converge in social contexts, we can better capture the dynamics that drive vulnerability or protect against decline, ultimately supporting more holistic strategies for diagnosis, monitoring, and intervention in neurodegenerative diseases. DISCeRN focuses on enhancing social health and inclusion for individuals with NDs, recognizing that maintaining meaningful social connections is essential for well-being. We aim to perform international harmonization of current clinical practices related to SC, integrating patients and families’ perspective to yield practical guidelines and consensus-based recommendations on current SC testing. We will characterize transdiagnostic and disease-specific SC impairments and trajectories in existing global datasets. We also aim to modernize clinical practices for assessing SC in NDs, enhancing diagnostic precision, prognosis, and monitoring by leveraging multimodal digital markers—such as speech analytics and physiological signals—whose relevance will be identified through Artificial Intelligence (AI). A novel digital teleneuropsychology module integrating digital SC markers will aim to translate these laboratory-based findings into real-life tools for clinics. As the severity and trajectory of SC impairments vary widely across NDs, pronounced social exclusion and withdrawal—frequently observed in these conditions in moderate to late stages—can have distinct explanatory factors and timelines depending on the specific disease. However, these phenomena remain insufficiently explored. DISCeRN will address this gap by adopting a transdiagnostic lens, ensuring that our findings and proposed solutions are particularly relevant in moderate and severe stages, when social impacts are often most pronounced. Finally, by developing multimodal holistic modeling of large scale behavioral, biological, cognitive, social and exposomic data, DISCeRN plans to have global relevance to improve social health equity. DISCeRN’s activities are structured into seven interconnected WPs over three years. Our multidisciplinary consortium will leverage already funded ongoing local and international cohorts with more than 8500 participants across the globe, maximizing feasibility and cross-cultural relevance. Complementary expertise in neurology, neuroimaging, neuropsychology, AI, diversity, equity and digital health solutions creates a unique holistic approach. Through its emphasis on training, international collaboration, and inclusive methodologies, DISCeRN will deliver far-reaching impacts on clinical guidelines, research innovation, and patient care, ultimately promoting social inclusion and well-being for individuals with NDs. Our project will significantly help enhance diagnosis and management of NDs, while orienting potential targeted public health interventions that foster social health equity in aging populations.

Principal Investigator

Maxime Montembeault , Douglas Research Centre

Partners and Donors

CIHR-IA

Project Ongoing

DIgital markers of Social Cognition for diagnosis & pRognosis in Neurodegeneration (DISCeRN)

  • Area of research

    Neurodegeneration

  • Disease Area

    Other

  • Competition

    EU Joint Programme – Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND)

  • Province

    Québec

  • Start Date

    2026

  • Total Grant Amount

    $333,000