EZ-Aware

Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases are a group of disorders characterized by the progressive degeneration of the structure and function of the nervous system. They include conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). These diseases are prevalent worldwide, affecting millions of people. For instance, Alzheimer's disease alone is estimated to affect more than 50 million people globally, a number that is expected to rise as the population ages. Parkinson's disease affects over 10 million people worldwide. 

The impact of neurodegenerative diseases on quality of life is profound, affecting not only those diagnosed but also their caregivers and families. These diseases can lead to severe physical disabilities, cognitive decline, and emotional distress. As symptoms progress, patients may lose their ability to perform daily activities, communicate effectively, and maintain independence, leading to increased reliance on care and support services. The emotional and financial burdens on families and caregivers can be significant, contributing to a decreased quality of life for all involved.

“It was a pleasant, brief connection to a caring system.”  - Male, 86, New Jersey 

“It came regularly. Right on time. It made me think every day and I appreciate reporting just that moment.”  - Female, 75, Rhode Island

“I like this particular app because it got me to think about Parkinson's stuff. It was easy to use and did not take up a lot of time.” - Female, 55, Massachusetts 

“Easy to use platform that aggregates data, such as sleep tracking with an intuitive interface, with tags for symptoms already loaded. Overall it was well-timed and reminders are helpful.” 

- Male, 49, Massachusetts 

“It’s a really easy tool to use to collect data on a number of fields that impact the daily life of PD.” 

- Male, 50, Rhode Island

“I was appreciative of the ability to read and interact with them (UI elements) easily.” 

 - Male, 55, Massachusetts

Major Accomplishments 

The NSF SBIR Phase I 

The phase I project (spanned from 12/1/2021-5/31/2023) focused on developing and testing EZ-Aware, a digital health platform designed to support individuals with Parkinson's Disease (PD) and their caregivers. 

• Real-world Feasibility Study: We conducted a feasibility study to verify the usability and robustness of the PD-Aware app in the daily lives of people with PD (n=31) and caregivers (n=14). All the participants liked PD-Aware, with an average usability rating of 4.75/5. 94.5% of participants have adopted the app as regular users beyond the study period. Till now, the study has collected a total data of 2,827 days. 

• Patient-Reported Outcomes: The EZ-Aware digital framework offers a comprehensive patient report via PDF, offering a glimpse of self-reported quality of life measures (check-ins), change over time for self-assessments for multiple PD domains (onboard/offboard patient-reported outcomes (PROs)), and activity trend charts (reported by wearables).

• Patent: EchoWear filed a utility patent application in May 2022 (US 2022/0378297 A1), covering the remote assessment of functional and behavioral aspects of neurodegenerative disorders. 

The NIH STTR Phase I 

The phase I project (spanned from 8/15/2021-7/31/2023) enabled us to develop and test the Rhode Island Mobile Cognitive Assessment Tool (RIMCAT) which is a digital cognitive screening instrument designed to accurately identify mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia in older adults. The tool, which encompasses multiple cognitive domains—including attention, executive functioning, and memory—has been optimized to be user-friendly. 

• 99 participants (Healthy Controls [HC] n=49; Cognitively Impaired [CI] n=50) completed the RIMCAT twice under the supervision of a proctor who provided only verbal prompts when necessary.

• Healthy controls required fewer prompts than cognitively impaired participants, indicating differences in ease of use.

• Over 80% of participants rated the visual/audio elements and instructions as very good or excellent.

• These study results demonstrate strong test-retest reliability and internal consistency, and evidence of concurrent and construct validity. Our results suggest that the RIMCAT is an effective self-administered digital tool for cognitive screening of older adults in supervised settings, such as primary care offices, senior centers, and other community settings.