Brain HealthAI Detects Cognitive Impairment by Listening to Doctor Visits
Researchers at Mount Sinai recorded routine primary care visits for nearly 1,000 older adults and used machine learning to analyze acoustic features of patient speech — things like pitch, timing, and vocal variability. Without any dedicated cognitive test, the AI correctly identified cognitive impairment about 68% of the time. Models using Whisper, a speech-processing tool, performed best and held up in an independent validation group in Chicago. This passive, low-burden approach could one day flag patients who need further evaluation without adding time to already-packed clinic visits. About one in five participants had undetected cognitive impairment, highlighting how common underdiagnosis is in primary care today.
