Improving autobiographical episodic memory, quality of life, and sense of self with a smartphone intervention in early Alzheimer's disease: A case study

The inability to remember the past in dementia adversely impacts psychosocial well-being and sense of self. Reminiscence therapy has been used to evoke recollection of remote memories and promote psychological functioning, yet recent autobiographical events are impoverished and disproportionately affected in neurodegeneration. HippoCamera is a neuroscience-based app that encourages users to capture and review powerful memory cues of everyday events which has been shown to improve episodic memory in healthy aging and profound memory dysfunction. Here, we present case G.F., a 79-year-old man with early Alzheimer’s disease, who participated in an 11-week personalized digital reminiscence intervention using HippoCamera to mitigate memory loss and enhance quality of life. We found that G.F. recalled events that he repeatedly reviewed using HippoCamera with greater episodic detail, relative to baseline events that were not reviewed. After the intervention, G.F. reported higher quality of life, fewer depressive symptoms, higher satisfaction with life, stronger sense of self-concept and identity, and better self-perceived episodic and spatial memory abilities. In open-ended qualitative feedback, G.F. shared that the intervention allowed him to regain confidence and feel connected with others, positively transforming his outlook for the future. These findings suggest that HippoCamera interventions can be instrumental for older adults experiencing memory loss.