software for wearables can measure brain health
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PRESS RELEASE 12 August 2016
©CognitionKit2016.Allrightsreserved. www.cognitionkit.com
SoftwareforwearablescanmeasurebrainhealthMental health conditions are now the leading causes of disability worldwide.Withmore than 450million people living withmentalillnesses the costs of treatment and care to global economies is predicted to double by 2030 to over $6 trillion (World HealthOrganization).AteamofscientistsandsoftwaredesignersintheUKhasdevelopednewwearablesoftwaretoaidearlyinterventionandmonitoringofconditionsaffectingthebrain.Neurological conditions are commonly characterised by day-to-day variability in symptoms like mood, anxiety, and problems withconcentration and memory. This fluctuation impacts the daily lives of those living with the conditions, for example making it moredifficulttomakeadvanceplans,performconsistentlyatschoolorinwork,ormaintainsteadyrelationships.Standardinfrequentclinicaltests by doctors or researchers cannot detect this variability in symptoms, so it is often ignored, missed, or leads to an inaccuratediagnosis.CognitionKitisawearablesoftwareplatformthatwillenabledoctors,scientistsandthepublictobetterunderstandandmanageday-to-daybrainhealthbyaccuratelymeasuringbiologicalandpsychologicalfactorsaffectingcognitiveperformancemorefrequently.
CognitionKitmicrotestshownonaMicrosoftBand2designedtomeasurememoryandattentionThe results of the study, presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference, found that for the first time wearableconsumerdevicescouldbeusedtoaccuratelymeasurecognitionandbrainhealthusingCognitionKit.Thetechnologycouldnowhelpimprovethedevelopmentofdisease-modifyingtreatments,treatmentalhealthconditionsattheearliestopportunityandobjectivelymeasurepatientoutcomesasameansofreducingthehealthandeconomicburdenofmentalillness.Duringthestudyparticipantsworeawearabledevicetomonitortheirlevelsofstressandphysiologicalactivationusingbuilt-insensorsofheartrate,galvanicskinresponseandskintemperature.ThestudyusedtheMicrosoftBand2,afitnesstrackerwithsmartwatchfeatures,selectedforitsextensivesensors.CognitionKithoweverisbeingdevelopedtobecompatiblewithuseonallmajorwearablebrands.Throughouteachdayofthestudy,subjectswerepromptedtocompletequickmicrotestsofcognitionontheBand.Thesegame-liketestsmeasuredattention,memoryandreactionspeedatdifferenttimesofday.Over30milliondatapointswere recordedduring the twoweek study,whichhas showndistinctpatternsofperformancewithinandacross days, allowing a rich picture of subjects’ cognitive function to emerge. This has the potential to provide a powerful tool forresearchers,complementingtraditionalinfrequentandin-depthtesting.
PRESS RELEASE 12 August 2016
©CognitionKit2016.Allrightsreserved. www.cognitionkit.com
SampledatafromthestudyshowsdailyvarianceincognitiveperformancebetweentwosubjectsAftereachcognitivegame,subjectsreportedhowtheyfeltbyselectingoneofsixfacestoconveytheircurrentmood.OnJune24th,thedayoftheEUreferendumresultsintheUK,theresearchersevenobservedasignificantdropinthegeneralmoodoftheBritishparticipantsinthestudy.
Cognition Kit are now seeking commercial partners and expect to sign firstcontracts in the coming months following significant interest frompharmaceutical companies and healthcare providers wanting to reliablydemonstratetheoutcomesoftreatmentsanddetectearly indicatorsofmentalhealthconditionsbeforefurtherdamageisdone.Francesca Cormack, PhD, Director of Research and Innovation, CambridgeCognitioncommented:”Thisproofof concept studydemonstrates that for the first time, theseconsumerdevicesaremakingpossible the rapidcollectionoflargescalescientificdatasets.Thisnotonlyallowsdramaticallymoredetailedknowledgeofmoment-by-momentbrainfunction,butalsoopensupnewpossibilitiestodevelopmachinelearningalgorithmsthatwillallowearlierdetectionandinterventioninbraindisorders.”BenFehnert,Co-founderofCtrlGroupandDirectorofCognitionKitcommented:”Simple,regularinteractionwithpeoplesownphonesandwearabledevicesiskeytohelpingunderstanddailyandlongertermfluctuationsincognitivefunction.ThisstudyisthefirstdemonstrationofhowCognitionKitsoftwarecanbuildarichpictureofbrainhealthusingpeoplesowndevicesduringtheirdailylives.”
PRESS RELEASE 12 August 2016
©CognitionKit2016.Allrightsreserved. www.cognitionkit.com
Notestoeditors
AboutCognitionKitCognitionKitisajointventurebetweenCambridgeCognitionandCtrlGroupformedin2016todevelopdigitalhealthtoolsonmobileandwearabledevices.CognitionKitsoftwaretakesresearchoutofthe laband intodaily life,enablingdoctors,scientistsandthepublictobetterunderstandandmanageday-to-daybrainhealth.www.cognitionkit.com @cognitionkit [email protected] Cognition is a neuroscience digital health company specialising in the precise measurement of clinical outcomes inneurologicaldisorders.TheCompanydevelopsandmarketsvalidatednearpatientassessmentproductsusingcognitionasabiomarkertoimprovetheunderstanding,diagnosisandtreatmentofmentalhealthdisordersworldwide.Partners include the world’s leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions and public-private healthorganisations.www.cambridgecognition.com @CANTABconnect press@camcog.comAboutCtrlGroupCtrlGroupbelievethatnewtechnologieshavethepotentialtotransformhealthcareandmedicalresearchbyincreasingefficiencyandcreatingmorepersonalisedmedicine.Weareateamofdesigners,researchers,softwaredevelopersandhealthcareexpertswhoworkinternationallywithhealthcarecompaniesandproviderswhowanttousenewtechnologytoimprovepeople’shealth.www.ctrl-group.com @ctrl_group [email protected]