Rob Pepper, CEO, NeuroTrax Corp.

Neurology is undergoing a significant shift. While demand for neurological care continues to rise, the supply of practicing neurologists is unable to keep pace, creating a widening gap with real consequences for patient access, wait times, and care quality. As neurological conditions grow more prevalent, and as diagnostics and therapeutics become more sophisticated, clinicians need tools that expand their reach, streamline evaluations, and improve decision-making. NeuroTrax helps fill exactly that need.

The U.S. is experiencing a sustained and worsening shortage of neurologists. Demand is surging due to an aging population, increased prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and other neurological disorders, and expanded insurance coverage that has brought more patients into the system. At the same time, therapeutic advancements are enabling longer-term disease management, which increases the number of patients requiring ongoing specialist oversight. Studies have projected a national neurologist shortfall approaching 19%, accompanied by some of the longest wait times in all of medicine.

This is where NeuroTrax can make an immediate impact. As a digital neuromarker capable of quantifying cognitive domains with clinical-grade precision, NeuroTrax allows providers, including overburdened neurologists, to triage more efficiently, monitor patients remotely, and identify cognitive changes earlier than traditional methods.

Another major trend is the accelerating shift toward neurology subspecialties, including stroke, epilepsy, movement disorders, sleep disorders, neuroimmunology, and more. While this expansion improves specialized care, it also contributes to a shrinking pool of general neurologists. Compounding this shift is the rise of neurohospitalists who are focused primarily on inpatient settings.

NeuroTrax supports both generalists and specialists by offering standardized, domain-specific cognitive insights relevant across the continuum of neurological care. Whether a clinician is assessing attention in ADHD, processing speed in MS, memory function in early Alzheimer’s disease, or executive function in post-stroke recovery, NeuroTrax provides a consistent, objective measurement framework.

The national neurologist shortage is amplified in rural and underserved regions, areas commonly referred to as “neurology deserts.” Patients in these communities face major barriers to timely evaluation and follow-up care. NeuroTrax helps reduce geographic disparities by providing a scalable, digital cognitive assessment platform that can be administered in primary care offices, community clinics, or remotely when appropriate. By functioning as a digital neuromarker, NeuroTrax provides non-specialists with objective cognitive data to guide next steps, allowing neurologists to focus their limited time on the most complex cases.

Neurology is not declining; it's evolving. The pressures facing the field underscore a growing need for digital tools that support early detection, triage, monitoring, and interdisciplinary care. NeuroTrax is uniquely positioned to meet these challenges, enabling clinicians to deliver higher-quality neurological and cognitive care, no matter the practice setting or subspecialty.

Want to see how NeuroTrax can strengthen your neurology practice?

Contact us today to learn more.

NeuroTrax Science Team and Glen M. Doniger, PhD

For many primary care physicians, evaluating cognitive decline poses a challenge: traditional screening tools are limited, while referrals to specialists can take months. NeuroTrax bridges that gap, bringing objective, comprehensive cognitive assessment directly into the primary care setting.

Built for everyday clinical workflows, NeuroTrax provides precise data across seven cognitive domains, including memory, attention, executive function, processing speed, and visual spatial ability, all within a single, 45-minute digital session. Staff can easily administer the test, and results are available instantly through clear, visual reports. With built-in reimbursement under CPT codes 96138, 96139, and 96146, NeuroTrax enhances both clinical care and practice efficiency.

Research supports the practicality and accuracy of computerized cognitive testing in primary care. In a multicenter study of nearly 100 memory clinic participants, NeuroTrax effectively distinguished individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from both cognitively healthy adults and those with mild Alzheimer’s disease [1]. Measures of memory, executive function, visual spatial skills, and verbal fluency showed strong discriminant validity comparable to, and in some cases outperforming, traditional paper-based neuropsychological tests. Other studies have shown that this discriminant validity is robust to comorbid depressive symptoms [2] and socioethnic factors [3]. Taken together, these findings highlight the platform’s precision, efficiency, and suitability for routine clinical use, especially where full neuropsychological testing is impractical.

Additionally, in a large usability study of over 2,800 elderly patients, 83% rated NeuroTrax “easy to use,” including those over age 75 and with significant cognitive impairment [4]. Supervisors reported minimal frustration, highlighting that digital testing with NeuroTrax is feasible, even for non-computer users. These findings confirm that cognitive assessment need not be confined to specialty clinics; it can be successfully implemented in everyday practice.

Further evidence demonstrates NeuroTrax’s ability to capture subtle deficits missed by conventional paper-based tools. In a study comparing visual spatial assessments, NeuroTrax’s computerized battery detected impairments with greater sensitivity and reliability than standard screens like the Clock Drawing Test or Mini-Mental State Examination [5]. Such precision allows earlier identification of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), enabling proactive management before decline progresses to dementia.

With new Alzheimer’s treatments now available for early-stage disease, timely and accurate cognitive assessment has never been more critical. NeuroTrax empowers primary care providers to detect, track, and manage cognitive changes in-house, bolstering patient trust and improving outcomes.

Ready to see how NeuroTrax fits into your primary care workflow? Contact us today to learn how you can deliver same-day cognitive clarity for your patients.

References:

[1] Dwolatzky, T., Whitehead, V., Doniger, G.M., Simon, E.S., Schweiger, A., Jaffe, D., and Chertkow, H. (2003). Validity of a novel computerized cognitive battery for mild cognitive impairment. BMC Geriatrics, 3:4. PMID: 14594456

[2] Doniger, G.M., Dwolatzky, T., Zucker, D.M., Chertkow, H., Crystal, H., Schweiger, A., and Simon, E.S. (2006). Computerized cognitive testing battery identifies MCI and mild dementia even in the presence of depressive symptoms. American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias, 21, 28–36. PMID: 16526587

[3] Doniger, G.M., Jo, M-Y., Simon, E.S., and Crystal, H.A. (2009). Computerized cognitive assessment of mild cognitive impairment in urban African Americans. American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias, 24, 396–403. PMID: 19700670

[4] Fillit, H.M., Simon, E.S., Doniger, G.M., and Cummings, J.L. (2008). Practicality of a computerized system for cognitive assessment in the elderly. Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, 4, 14–21. PMID: 18631946

[5] Punchik, B., Shapovalov, A., Dwolatzky, T., and Press, Y. (2015). Visual-spatial perception: A comparison between instruments frequently used in the primary care setting and a computerized cognitive assessment battery. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 10, 1881–1887. PMID: 26648704