{"doi":"10.1002/hsr2.70906","title":"Community‐Based Pilot Study of a Wrist‐Worn Bioimpedance Hydration Sensor and Its Implications for Understanding the Relationship Between Hydration and Cognitive Function","abstract":"Hydration is vital for the regulation of temperature and metabolism in the human body. Variation in hydration has a clear association with morbidity and mortality [1, 2]. Other studies have shown that mild dehydration has a significant influence on functional status, including increased fatigue and lower cognitive function [1, 2]. Dehydration can also lead to hospitalizations and put a burden on hospital systems. Measurement of hydration is typically inferential. Body water exists in muscle, ligament, fat tissues, intravascular and extravascular spaces, and both inside and outside of cells. Multiple approaches are used clinically to measure hydration including serum osmolality, measurement of body weight and body weight changes, fluid monitoring (e.g., urine output, oral and intravenous input), radiographic measurement, laboratory chemical assessment of fluids composition and as in our study, via bioimpedance [2]. Cognitive status encompasses various aspects of brain functioning [3]. When 2% or more of body weight is lost due to water restriction, heat, or physical exertion, a decline in cognitive performance can occur (short-term memory, attention, and visual-motor tracking) [4, 5]. However, inconsistent conclusions have been made about the extent of the association between cognitive performance and hydration status. Studies have shown the need for more examination of this phenomenon with larger and more diverse samples as well as differing causes for water loss [5]. This study serves as a foundation for future research. The primary aim of this project was to determine the cognitive status relationship with dehydration. Our secondary aim was to determine the interest of participants in wearing a device that detects hydration levels. TritonX has developed a wearable wrist-worn device, illustrated in Figure 1, using bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) technology to provide real-time measurements of hydration, using segmental, upper body measurement (Table A1). The device is designed to be worn on a patient's wrist consisting of a processor, BIS sensor, eight metal electrodes, battery, Bluetooth low-energy, vibration/buzzer, and LED indicators (see Figure 1 and Figure A1). Bluetooth connectivity and an internet-connected smartphone were used for cloud-based data transmission. The figure below illustrates the precise placement of electrodes. BIS is a method that assesses fluid volume status where there are exciting and sensing electrodes where the alternating current is emitted and the output is received. As the current passes through body tissue, the measurement of electrical impedance is assessed and fluid volume status is measured [1]. BIS interference is caused by prolonged occlusion, skin thickness, differences in circulation, fever, surface effects, and salts. A convenience sample of adults, 18 years and older (n = 34) with no prior history of fluid retention issues, pregnancy, body weight not > 158.8 kg (350 lbs), no current abnormal bodily fluid retention, no neuromotor disorders, no current congestive heart failure or heart attack/myocardial infarction in the past 12 months, no implanted electronic devices, or neurological disorders. Mental health disorders were not screened. Demographics, hydration concern, and interest were documented in a survey following measurement. The average from three back-to-back device measurements was documented and participants were instructed to remain still and fasting between readings. Following the measurement, cognitive ability was measured using the Stroop exam, which assesses cognitive interference, known as the Stroop Effect, where the color of a word mismatches its meaning (e.g., “green” printed in blue ink) [6-8] Our primary outcome for analysis was the ECW fraction, ECW/BW, where ECW = extracellular water, and BW = body weight. The ECW fraction is used as a hydration assessment, representing overhydration within the body if elevated and recently used as a diagnostic variable of body w","journal":"Health Science Reports","year":2025,"id":568573,"datarank":0.0,"base_score":0.0,"endowment":0.0,"self_citation_contribution":0.0,"citation_network_contribution":0.0,"self_endowment_contribution":0.0,"citer_contribution":0.0,"corpus_percentile":null,"corpus_rank":null,"citation_count":0,"citer_count":0,"citers_with_citation_signal":0,"citers_with_endowment":0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":false,"is_dataset_confidence":0.9617,"is_data_producer":false,"deposit_databanks":null,"is_oa":true,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":"2025-01-01","fair_score":null,"fair_percentile":null,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":1473421,"name":"Eamon Johnson","orcid":null,"position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1473422,"name":"Shailja Khare","orcid":null,"position":2,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":430373,"name":"Adam T. Perzynski","orcid":"0000-0002-1323-0353","position":3,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1473423,"name":"Mary Joan Roach","orcid":null,"position":4,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1473420,"name":"Isaac Opoku","orcid":null,"position":0,"is_corresponding":true}],"reference_count":11,"raw_metadata":null,"created_at":"2026-07-19T02:56:52.212268Z","pmid":"40524716","pmcid":null,"fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"oa_status":null,"license":null,"views":0,"total_file_size_bytes":0,"version_count":0,"fair_f":null,"fair_a":null,"fair_i":null,"fair_r":null,"fair_zscore":null,"fair_rationale":null,"fair_model":null,"fair_agent_version":null,"fair_fulltext_source":null,"fair_has_llm":null,"fair_computed_at":null,"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"db_accessions":[],"linked_datasets":[],"topics":[]}