Biomarkers

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Gerontology
• Digital Health

Background:

• Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms in Dementia (BPSD) monitoring lacks reliable home-based methods.
• Apathy and anhedonia are key BPSDs in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), impacting quality of life.
• Objective markers are needed for disease monitoring and targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the utility of digital markers for capturing apathy and anhedonia in dementia patients within a home setting.
• To extend the ECOCAPTURE@HOME framework to include digital assessment of apathy and anhedonia.
• To identify reliable digital biomarkers for these BPSDs.

Main Methods:

• The ECOCAPTURE@HOME study (NCT04865172) uses wearable sensors (Empatica EmbracePlus) and digital assessments.
• Recruited 20 AD, 20 bvFTD patient-caregiver dyads, and 20 healthy controls across two sites.
• Employed machine learning to analyze physiological and behavioral data for apathy and anhedonia profiles.

Main Results:

• Hypothesizes that digital biomarkers can reliably identify and track apathy and anhedonia.
• Apathy markers are expected to fluctuate with context, while anhedonia markers remain stable.
• Digital markers will provide objective insights into these BPSDs.

Conclusions:

• Novel objective behavioral indices for BPSDs will be developed for home implementation.
• Digital biomarkers will facilitate timely interventions and therapeutic monitoring.
• This approach supports patient autonomy, reduces caregiver stress, and enables aging in place.