Biogen Launches Study to Find Out if Apple Watch and iPhone Can Detect Declining Cognitive Health

Biotechnology company Biogen today announced the launch of a new Apple Watch study in partnership with Apple that is aimed at investigating the role the iPhone and Apple Watch might play in monitoring cognitive performance and screening for decline in cognitive health.

applewatchseroundup
The multi-year study will launch later this year and will enroll both young and aging adults with a range of cognitive performance. The study's objectives are to find digital biomarkers for helping to monitor cognitive performance over time and identifying early signs of mild cognitive impairment.

Mild cognitive impairment impacts approximately 15 to 20 percent of adults over the age of 64, and the onset of symptoms are often subtle, so it can take months or even years before health care providers become aware of the problem.

"Working in collaboration with Biogen, we hope this study can help the medical community better understand a person's cognitive performance by simply having them engage with their Apple Watch and iPhone," said Jeff Williams, Apple's chief operating officer. "We're looking forward to learning about the impact our technology can have in delivering better health outcomes through improved detection of declining cognitive health."

The study will be privacy-focused with customer control, transparency, and data security in mind. Participants will be offered a detailed consent form listing the data types collected and how that data may be used and shared. Data is stored encrypted and in systems with strong security controls.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected [Updated]

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Siri Finder Feature

iOS 26 Code Leak Reveals Apple Smart Home Hub Details

Thursday December 11, 2025 4:02 pm PST by
Apple is working on a smart home hub that will rely heavily on the more capable version of Siri that's coming next year. We've heard quite a bit about the hub over the last two years, but a recent iOS 26 code leak provides additional insight into what we can expect and confirms rumored features. Macworld claims to have access to an internal version of iOS 26 that references several upcoming...
studio display purple

Apple Studio Display 2 Code Hints at 120Hz ProMotion, HDR, A19 Chip

Thursday December 11, 2025 4:19 am PST by
Apple's next-generation Studio Display is expected to arrive early next year, and a new report allegedly provides a couple more details on the external monitor's capabilities. According to internal Apple code seen by Macworld, the new external display will feature a variable refresh rate capable of up to 120Hz – aka ProMotion – as well as support for HDR content. The current Studio...

Top Rated Comments

xander49x Avatar
64 months ago
Sign me up. I love apple study's
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Neepman Avatar
64 months ago
Just keep changing the interface for no reason and adding more pointless gestures and everyone will appear to be less cognitive.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
subi257 Avatar
64 months ago
I would love that, in my slight bit of hypochondriac-ness It's bugging the Sh^t out of the me that I don't remember Sh*t like I used to. :p
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Psychicbob Avatar
64 months ago
By “Cognitive Decline”, I think it means “You haven’t bought any Apple products for over 12 months. You must be ill!”
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
now i see it Avatar
64 months ago
a study should be launched to find out if using Apple products can cause declining cognitive health.
My suspicion is that they do - I think / wait- I'm not sure- what was I saying? - oh never mind
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
williamyx Avatar
64 months ago

Biogen? Isn't that the company that hosted the SARS-CoV2 superspreader event in Boston back in February 2020? The same SARS-CoV2 that may cause long-lived cognitive impairment?
Nice try, but it was early enough in the pandemic that frankly no one knew what was going on.

Frankly I'm interested in why Biogen in particular is doing this study given that they're not testing any new drugs with this, and not any other researchers.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)