In collaborationwith researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has published a new review paper in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. It explores how digital health technologies can enhance the assessment of functional independence in Alzheimer’s disease clinical research.
Functional independence changes are key to diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease and are meaningful to patients. However, current assessments rely on informants, have ceiling effects, and capture limited activities. New methods are needed to evaluate Alzheimer’s patients’ functioning. The review shows how passive, continuous, and remote real-world physical behavior measurement can improve functional independence assessment.
The article highlights valuable measurement domains for Alzheimer’s research, including real-world gait, physical activity, sedentary behavior, and life-space mobility. It also presents a roadmap for developing, validating, and deploying these digital measures in clinical trials.
Supported by the National Institute on Aging, the Massachusetts AI and Technology Center for Connected Care in Aging & Alzheimer’s Disease, Army Research Laboratory Cooperative Agreement W911NF2120208, and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. Grant numbers: 5P30AG073107-02 Pilot A2 and Pilot 3.