ICMR releases MUDRA Toolbox in 5 Indian languages

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) released “Multilingual Dementia Research and Assessment (MUDRA) toolbox” in five Indian Languages on October 5, 2021.

Key Facts

• Toolbox was launched in order to expand the care and outreach to people suffering from dementia.
• Toolbox has been launched in languages including Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam.

About MUDRA Toolbox

MUDRA Toolbox project is led by the ICMR Neuro-Cognitive Tool Box (ICMR-NCTB) partnership. It seeks to improve dementia and mild cognitive impairment research & therapeutic practices in India. To implement this project, ICMR-NCTB has collaborated with AIIMS (New Delhi), NIMHANS (Bengaluru), NIMS (Hyderabad), SCTIMST (Thiruvananthapuram), Manipal Hospital (Bengaluru), Apollo Hospital (Kolkata) and Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College.

Use of the toolbox

Toolbox comprise of several cognitive tests which can be used to examine several aspects of cognition such as executive functioning, speech, memory, and visuospatial functions. It is sensitive to the elements affective cognitive test performance like language, education, and culture.

Dementia cases in India

Dementia is a neurological illness which affects the ability of person to perform activities of daily living. It creates a loss in memory. As per Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Society of India (ARDSIDementia), currently more than 5.29 million persons are living with dementia in India. By 2030, number of dementia patients is expected to reach 7.61 million.

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

ICMR is the apex body to formulate, coordinate and promote biomedical research. It is one of the oldest and largest medical research bodies across the world. It is funded through the Department of Health Research of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

Month: Current Affairs - October, 2021