SBIR Phase I: Engaging the Mind and Body: Technology to Automate Physical Therapy Treatments for Patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD).

The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is to maximize the quality of life of patients currently suffering from Parkinson?s Disease (PD). Over 1 million Americans have been diagnosed with PD and this number is expected to double by 2040. PD is a neurodegenerative disorder without a cure ? once the first Parkinsonian tremor has been detected, over 80% of the brain cells associated with creating dopamine through natural processes have already died. Dopamine is a chemical released by neurons to communicate with other nerve cells and is essential to enable the basal ganglia network to control the body?s movements. By engaging the PD patient with novel, highly-cognitive mobility exercises designed by physical therapists (PTs), automaticity can be reprogrammed to utilize different regions of the brain to control movement. Ultimately, this rewiring will slow (neuroprotection) or possibly reverse the degenerative process. Although the current technology development will focus on this one disease (PD), the technology may be applicable to other sister diseases (e.g., Alzheimer?s and Dementia) or even other conditions (traumatic brain injury, stroke, concussions, and so on). This computer-adaptive platform may eventually enable researchers to identify a biomarker that may lead to a cure for this idiopathic condition. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will produce a prototype for an automated physical-therapy (PT) treatment for patients suffering from Parkinson?s Disease (PD). This automated prototype will act as a virtual coach encouraging patients to perform daily mobility exercises in the comfort and privacy of their own homes. This unique, automated technology will help rewire the brain of the PD patient by engaging both the mind and body which will slow the neurodegeneration inherent to PD. The system will automatically adjust the treatment protocol in terms of duration and difficulty based on the patient?s unique situation including current medication levels. Objective, technology-based outcome measures will be summarized for caregivers working with the PD patient (primary care provider, physical therapists, neurologists, and so on). In addition, this technology platform will be designed to enable community interaction among PD patients as well as facilitate tele-health communications between the PD patient and his/her healthcare provider. The overall objective is to develop a PD-specific electronic system that directs PT treatment by developing hardware/software to test the feasibility of the adaptive assessment and the automated PT treatment system. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.