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NCT Number: NCT06573762

Home-Based Monitoring in Parkinson's Disease

The goal of this observational study is to learn about the usefulness of automated analysis of speech, physical activity measures tracked using wearable devices at home, and tremor detection measured using computer-vision analysis of smartphone video to detect impairments related to Parkinson's disease and improve prediction of one-year progression.

Participants will attend a short research visit at the University of Iowa. During this visit, they will make a video recording using a smartphone of them performing a fine motor task and audio recordings of pre-written text. They will be provided with an activity tracker and asked to wear it at home for four weeks. After four weeks, a video visit will be conducted and the speech and video tasks will be repeated.

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Key information

Age range

50 year–110 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics

Iowa City, Iowa, 52242, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Jacob Simmering, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

3196788037

About this study

Two groups of participants will be recruited. Group 1 will be patients newly referred to the Movement Disorders clinic for evaluation of possible Parkinson's disease. Group 2 will be patients with a recent (within 6 months) diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.

Group 1 (Newly Referred) will attend a baseline visit where the following data will be collected:

  • Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). The motor assessment tasks will be recorded using an iPad.
  • Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).
  • Cognitive function assessment using NIH Toolbox.
  • Diagnosis made at the Movement Disorders Clinic (PD or not PD).
  • SF-20 quality of life assessment. (Short Form 20)
  • PDQ-39 quality-of-life assessment. (Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire 39)
  • Tongue and lip strength using the Iowa Oral Pressure Instrument.
  • Cognitive function assessment using NIH Toolbox.
  • Audio recordings of:
  • Diadochokinesis (DDK) assessment.
  • Vowel prolongation assessment.
  • Sentence Intelligibility Test.
  • Reading the Grandfather, Bamboo, and Rainbow passages.
  • Recording of conversational speech.

Participants will be provided with an activity tracker and a research team member will help install any required apps on the participant's phone, configure and connect the activity tracker, provide a basic overview of how the app and tracker work, and answer any additional questions the participant may have.

The participant will then wear the activity tracker at home for 4 weeks. Text messages reminders will be sent following days with non-wear (no recorded heart rate or steps for multiple hours throughout the day) as a reminder to increase wear time.

At 4 weeks, the participant will complete a video visit using Microsoft Teams/Zoom with a study team member and the study participant. During the video visit, a recording of three different fine-motor skill tasks used in the UPDRS will be made. During the call, the study team member will provide coaching and direct the participant to repeat the audio and UPDRS fine motor task assessment at home while recording the video visit. At the end of the video visit, research team member will also collect questions about the ease and willingness to use the activity tracker and video call for disease monitoring and any open-ended comments the participant wishes to provide. This concludes the participants involvement in the study.

Group 2 (Recently Diagnosed) will attend a baseline visit where the following data will be collected:

  • Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). The motor assessment tasks will be recorded using an iPad.
  • Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).
  • Cognitive function assessment using NIH Toolbox.
  • Diagnosis made at the Movement Disorders Clinic (PD or not PD).
  • SF-20 quality of life assessment.
  • PDQ-39 quality-of-life assessment.
  • Tongue and lip strength using the Iowa Oral Pressure Instrument.
  • Cognitive function assessment using NIH Toolbox.
  • Audio recordings of:
  • Diadochokinesis (DDK) assessment.
  • Vowel prolongation assessment.
  • Sentence Intelligibility Test.
  • Reading the Grandfather, Bamboo, and Rainbow passages.
  • Recording of conversational speech.

Participants will be provided with an activity tracker and a research team member will help install any required apps on the participant's phone, configure and connect the activity tracker, provide a basic overview of how the app and tracker work, and answer any additional questions the participant may have.

The participant will then wear the activity tracker at home for 4 weeks. Text messages reminders will be sent following days with non-wear (no recorded heart rate or steps for multiple hours throughout the day) as a reminder to increase wear time.

At 4 weeks, the participant will complete a video visit using Microsoft Teams/Zoom with a study team member and the study participant. During the video visit, a recording of three different fine-motor skill tasks used in the UPDRS will be made. During the call, the study team member will provide coaching and direct the participant to repeat the audio and UPDRS fine motor task assessment at home while recording the video visit. At the end of the video visit, research team member will also collect questions about the ease and willingness to use the activity tracker and video call for disease monitoring and any open-ended comments the participant wishes to provide.

At 11 months, the participant will be contacted to schedule a one-year research visit. Many patients return on 3-6 month intervals to the UIHC Movement Disorders Clinic and the research visit will ideally coordinate the participants routine visit for care.

At the one-year encounter, which will be an in-person research visit, the following data elements will be collected:

  • Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS).
  • Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).
  • Cognitive function assessment using NIH Toolbox.
  • SF-20.
  • PDQ-39 quality-of-life assessment.

Additionally, the research team will solicit any open-ended feedback the participant wants to share with the study team about their experience being in the study.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Group 1: People newly referred with possible Parkinson's disease

Inclusion criteria

  • Newly referred to UIHC Movement Disorders Clinic

Exclusion criteria

  • Prior diagnosis of Parkinson's disease
  • Confined to wheelchair or bed
  • Non-English speaking
  • Prisoner status
  • Inability to provide own informed consent
  • Phone unable to support the Fitbit app

Group 2: People with a recent diagnosis of Parkinson's disease

Inclusion criteria

  • Patient of UIHC Movement Disorders Clinic
  • Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease

Exclusion criteria

  • First diagnosed > 6 months ago
  • Confined to wheelchair or bed
  • Non-English speaking
  • Prisoner status
  • Inability to provide own informed consent
  • Phone unable to support the Fitbit app

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of Patients with a Diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease

    Time frame: Baseline

    Among Group 1 (those newly referred to the clinic for possible Parkinson's disease), a primary outcome will be whether the diagnosis made by the provider in the clinic was Parkinson's disease versus any other diagnosis.

    This is not an outcome for Group 2 (those with a recent diagnosis of Parkinson's disease) as everyone in that group will have that diagnosis.

  2. Change in Fine Motor Function

    Time frame: Baseline, One Year

    Motor function will be evaluated using the UPDRS rating system.

  3. Change in Total Cognition Composite Function

    Time frame: Baseline, One Year

    Total Cognition Composite will be calculated using the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery. This score has a range from 0 to 200 with healthy adults having a mean score of 100 with a standard deviation of 15. Higher scores are associated with better cognitive performance.

  4. Change in Total Crystallized Cognition Function

    Time frame: Baseline, One Year

    Crystallized Cognition Composite will be calculated using the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery. This score has a range from 0 to 200 with healthy adults having a mean score of 100 with a standard deviation of 15. Higher scores are associated with better cognitive performance.

  5. Change in Total Fluid Cognition Function

    Time frame: Baseline, One Year

    Fluid Cognition Composite will be calculated using the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery. This score has a range from 0 to 200 with healthy adults having a mean score of 100 with a standard deviation of 15. Higher scores are associated with better cognitive performance.

  6. Change in Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scores

    Time frame: Baseline, One Year

    The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) has a range of 0-30. Higher scores are associated with better cognitive function. Scores of 26 or higher are considered cognitively normal. Scores less than 26 are suggestive of cognitive impairment, with dementia scores being below 20 but without a universally-accepted cutoff.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Short Form Survey 20 (SF-20) Health Quality of Life

    Time frame: Baseline, One Year

    Health related quality of life will me measured using the Short Form Survey 20 (SF-20). SF-20 scores range from 0 to 100 with higher scores having greater quality-of-life.

  2. Change in Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire 39 (PDQ-39) Quality of Life

    Time frame: Baseline, One Year

    Health related quality of life will me measured using the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire 39 (PDQ-39). PDQ-39 scores range from 0 to 156 with lower scores reflecting less Parkinson's disease burden and higher scores associated with greater disease burden.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Jacob Simmering, MS, PHD, BA

CONTACT

[email protected]

3196788037

Shelby Francis, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Jacob E. Simmering

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Remote Monitoring Using Commercially Available Activity Trackers and Computer Vision Provides a Holistic, Low-cost Assessment of Parkinson's Disease Symptoms

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2028
First posted
Aug 27, 2024
Registry last updated
Apr 10, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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