The Case for Symptom-Specific Neurological Digital Biomarkers
Book Chapter
Templeton, JM, Poellabauer, C, Schneider, S. (2022). The Case for Symptom-Specific Neurological Digital Biomarkers
. 440 LNICST 235-255. 10.1007/978-3-031-06368-8_16
Templeton, JM, Poellabauer, C, Schneider, S. (2022). The Case for Symptom-Specific Neurological Digital Biomarkers
. 440 LNICST 235-255. 10.1007/978-3-031-06368-8_16
Digital biomarkers provide novel and objective assessment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s Disease (PD). This paper demonstrates that objective digital biomarkers, obtained from mobile-based functional assessments, can be used for symptom-specific insights on neurological deficiencies. These digital biomarkers were found to be sensitive to change in relation to structured physical interventions. In this pilot study, 54 participants (n = 36 PD; n = 18 control) completed 13 neurocognitive functional tasks with 115 digital biomarkers being identified and compared between groups for objective assessment, evaluation, and monitoring of disease progression. 36 (31.30%) of these biomarkers were significant (p< 0.10 ) between groups. Of the 36 significant biomarkers, 10 were motor, 6 were memory, 1 was speech, 6 were executive function, and 13 were multi-functional. 8 biomarkers were significant (p< 0.10 ) between groups regardless of intervention, which may indicate strong biomarkers to assess PD. Further, 15 (13.04%) digital biomarkers showed significance (p< 0.10 ) in relation to structured physical intervention. Overall, mobile-based digital biomarkers provide promising measures and sensitivity to functional change that can be used in assessment and monitoring of Parkinson’s Disease. Further integration of mobile device capabilities can enhance the understanding of how neurodegenerative diseases present and aid clinicians in the diagnosis and monitoring of conditions.
