If you’ve ever taken a cognitive test, you know the drill – click a few buttons, process some images, and get a score that supposedly tells you something about your brain. But how accurate are these tests, really? A new study set out to answer that question for the Integrated Cognitive Assessment (ICA) test (the same test used in the CONKA app), this time with a focus on athletes.
You must be thinking “Okay, great. But what even is the ICA?” Right, glad you asked. The ICA is a short, computerised test that measures how quickly and accurately your brain processes information. It uses a rapid categorisation task, making it different from traditional memory or reaction-time-based cognitive assessments1, 2. The test is non-verbal, doesn’t require color vision, and takes only about five minutes to complete on a handheld device like an iPhone or iPad, which makes it easy to use both before and after sports activities, helping assess cognitive function over time (if you’ve downloaded the CONKA app, you know what I’m talking about!)
Because the ICA test is so precise at detecting even the smallest differences in cognitive function, it is an ideal tool for tracking athletes' brain performance over time. This is why it was chosen for the CONKA app – not only to assess cognitive changes before and after sport activity but also to evaluate cognitive function before and after taking CONKA. The ICA has already been shown to accurately detect mild cognitive impairment and correlates well with well-known cognitive assessments like the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (r = 0.58) and Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination (r = 0.62). It has even been used to detect cognitive impairment in early-stage dementia patients1.
Now, back to the recent study I mentioned earlier… A couple of weeks ago, a study was published in the Applied Neuropsychology – Adult journal where researchers investigated how reliable the ICA actually is and specifically, whether athletes would get consistent results when taking the test multiple times in a single day3. This is key for monitoring cognitive performance over time, especially in sports where concussions and head impacts are a concern. Essentially, a test that gives wildly different results each time wouldn’t be very useful for tracking changes.
The Findings
The good news? The study found that the ICA has high test-retest reliability, meaning that athletes' scores remained stable when they took the test on different occasions. That’s a solid indication that the test is actually measuring what it claims to and can be trusted as a tool for assessing neurocognitive health. This study specifically looked at intra-day precision (how closely results are grouped) and intra-day reliability (how consistent the test is when repeated on the same day). The findings suggest that the ICA meets the necessary standards to be a reliable pre- and post-sport assessment tool.
You know what else this means? The test cannot be learned! Meaning it doesn’t matter how many times you test – your score will always reflect your actual cognitive performance rather than just familiarity with the test itself. We’ve seen this firsthand in the CONKA trials – athletes who test frequently don’t necessarily score higher, and those with the best scores aren’t always the ones who take the test the most.
For athletes, coaches, and medical professionals, having a reliable cognitive test is a game-changer. Since the ICA is already integrated into the CONKA app, this study actually reinforces its value as a tool for tracking cognitive function in high-impact sports. Whether it’s monitoring recovery after a concussion, observing the effects of CONKA or just keeping tabs on long-term brain health, having a quick and reliable test is a game-changer. So, next time you take a cognitive test in the CONKA app, rest assured that science has your back (which is an extra flex when you can tell that friend that your score is not only higher, but scientifically accurate) – happy testing!
Leticia Hosang, BSc
Leticia is a sports science, sports psychology and neuroscience researcher, whose work on the effects of exercise on brain activity has been published in the International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology
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