An innovative new study from UCSF’s Neuroscape Research Center and consumer electronics giant Samsung aims to understand decade-to-decade changes in brain health.
The Neuroscape Technology for Aging Health – Digital Approaches (TAH-DA) longitudinal study aims to use Samsung’s wearable technology to identify biometric predictors of cognitive decline over a one-year period.
Samsung collaborates with leading institutions to foster innovation and innovative health research, exploring new health technologies and new norms of health. The TAH-DA study is another example of Samsung’s commitment to understanding the unique relationship between the brain and health.
This research is part of Samsung’s Open Innovation Initiative, a strategic program aimed at accelerating innovation in collaboration with leading universities, hospitals, research institutes, and startups to support the development of next-generation digital health solutions to enhance healthcare, deepen our understanding of the mind-body connection, maximize the wellness potential of personal devices, and support the development of cutting-edge technologies.
The TAH-DA study began recruiting participants from across North America in early 2026, with the goal of enrolling 200 adults from each decade of life, ages 40 to 89. By enrolling in the study, participants will receive a Samsung Galaxy Watch, which will record a series of health metrics during day and night sleep for one year, and a Galaxy Tab A9, which participants will use to self-assess and train their cognitive control abilities.
Galaxy Watch measures comprehensive health metrics such as heart rate, ECG (electrocardiogram), blood pressure, blood oxygen level, and body composition (BIA). You can also track your sleep and skin temperature, as well as daily activities such as steps. This data will be used to develop unique insights and deployable algorithms to track and predict changes in brain health over time. In addition, participants will take part in a series of surveys, digital cognitive assessments, and digital interventions developed by Neuroscape on Samsung tablets.
This rich dataset will not only allow us to determine which passive biometric measurements are relevant for cognitive assessment, but also allow us to test the effectiveness of evidence-based digital interventions in improving cognitive function across the adult lifespan. Unlike traditional neuroscience research, which often uses highly controlled, simplified stimuli and static laboratory environments, modern approaches aim to study human cognition in real-time under real-world conditions. ”
Joaquin A. Angela of Neuroscape
Mobile phones and wearables have become an integral part of daily life, capturing detailed information about users’ habits and actions. Device data captures subtle changes in daily life with surprisingly high sensitivity. Recognizing this potential, Samsung and UCSF researchers hope to develop digital biomarker technology designed to help track changes in cognitive function through this collaboration.
“We are excited to partner with Samsung on this research project that combines Samsung’s wearable technology and tablets with our software to study real-world cognition,” said Adam Gazzaly, executive director of Neuroscape. “This academic-industry partnership is driving the most technologically ambitious remote trial we have ever attempted and will generate a unique perspective on human aging.”
Research structure
The remote study will use Nexus, a clinical trial platform developed by Neuroscape. This enables online deployment of all study-related activities, including registration, consent, diagnostic assessment, and digital interventions. The project also includes partnerships with Helpsquad (which provides participants with access to both an AI chatbot and a virtual assistant) and Didit.me to assist with identity verification during the registration process.
-
Interested participants should register on the study website (neuroscape.ucsf.edu/tahda-study).
-
Once enrollment is complete, researchers will randomly assign participants to either the intervention or control group and send each participant a Galaxy Watch and Galaxy A9 Tab.
-
Once received, the tablet-based assessment and intervention phase begins. In this phase, participants are required to participate in a cognitively challenging game designed and developed in Neuroscape. This game has already been shown to have a positive impact on cognitive abilities, which decline with age.
-
Participants will also complete a series of custom-built digital cognitive assessments at three time points: before the study, after completing the intervention, and 9 months later.
“We are excited to combine Neuroscape’s digital interventions with our technology to strengthen the digital health ecosystem and create new approaches to health,” said Praveen Raja, vice president of Digital Health Samsung Research Americas. “We are excited to use biometric data from our Galaxy Watch to help identify behavioral and physiological predictors of cognitive decline while exploring digital interventions to improve cognitive function.”
“With this new study, we hope to raise the bar for remote clinical trials,” said Neuroscape’s Theodore Zanto. “Building on our previous research, we continue to push the boundaries of neurotechnology to develop neuroscience-based predictors of cognition across the adult lifespan and new digital therapeutics.”
