{"68478":{"#nid":"68478","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Application for iPhone May Help Monitor Parkinson\u0027s Disease","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) have developed a novel iPhone application that may enable persons with Parkinson\u0027s disease and certain other neurological conditions to use the ubiquitous devices to collect data on hand and arm tremors and relay the results to medical personnel.   \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers believe the application could replace subjective tests now used to assess the severity of tremors, while potentially allowing more frequent patient monitoring without costly visits to medical facilities. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe program -- known as iTrem -- could be offered later this year by the App Store, an Apple Inc. website that sells iPhone applications.  But iTrem will first undergo a clinical study at Emory University and must receive any required approvals from the Food and Drug Administration. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022We expect iTrem to be a very useful tool for patients and their caregivers,\u0022 said Brian Parise, a research scientist who is principal investigator for the project along with Robert Delano, another GTRI research scientist. \u0022And as a downloadable application, it also promises to be convenient and cost-effective.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EiTrem utilizes the iPhone\u0027s built-in accelerometer to collect data on a patient in his or her home or office. The application directly tracks tremor information currently, and in the future will use simple puzzle games to record tremor data, which will then be processed and transmitted.  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers expect the clinical trial to show that data gathered by the program would allow physicians to remotely monitor the degree of disability, progression and medication response among patients with tremor-related conditions. In addition, iTrem offers a social component that allows people to share stories, pictures and data. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EiTrem\u0027s developers are working with the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) to form a startup company based on iTrem and future applications that might take advantage of iPhone capabilities.  ATDC is a startup accelerator based at Georgia Tech that helps Georgia entrepreneurs launch and build successful technology companies.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe GTRI team plans ongoing development of iTrem\u0027s interface, based on responses from doctors and patients.  They\u0027re also investigating other consumer technologies with diagnostic potential, including the tiny gyroscopes now available in some cellular phones.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFuture developments will include the addition of several other Parkinson\u0027s related tests and investigation of gait analysis in a joint effort with the University of South Florida and the James A. Haley Veterans\u0027 Hospital in Tampa, Fla.  Additional developments may utilize the phone for detecting and analyzing dyskinesia, a movement disorder.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMore than 10 million people in the U.S. have tremor-related disease, including Parkinson\u0027s, essential tremor and multiple sclerosis, Delano said.  Data collected by iTrem could enhance research on tremor disorders, in addition to supporting treatment for current patients, he added.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMost current measurement techniques used by doctors are subjective and are performed infrequently, Delano said.  Complex diagnostic procedures such as electroencephalography and electromyography are objective and thorough, but are rarely performed because they\u0027re lengthy, expensive and require a clinical setting. The result is that little data about tremor has been available to track the effectiveness of medication and therapy over time.  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBy contrast, he said, the ease of gathering tremor data with iTrem could help lead to a significant expansion of research in this area, as a wealth of objective data is collected and analyzed. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Even factoring in the cost of an iPhone, using iTrem is likely to be more convenient and less expensive for patients than office visits, and the data are accurate and abundant,\u0022 Delano said. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EA clinical study involving iTrem use is expected to start soon at Emory University\u0027s Movement Disorder Clinic. The study will be led by Dr. Stewart Factor, a researcher in the field of Parkinson\u0027s disease at the Emory School of Medicine. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe GTRI development team presented a paper on iTrem in January at the 2011 International Conference on Health Informatics.  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EDelano explained that the development of iTrem was linked to his own diagnosis with Parkinson\u0027s disease several years ago. He eventually became frustrated with the subjective approaches commonplace in the characterizing of patient tremor symptoms.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Currently, doctors observe tremor during office visits and rate it on a subjective scale of zero to four.  That approach seemed outdated to me, considering all the technology now available,\u0022 Delano said. \u0022My wife Heather, who\u0027s an engineer, remarked that maybe that we could try putting some accelerometers on my arm.  That made me think of the accelerometer in the iPhone -- and here we are.\u0022  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 314\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAtlanta, Georgia  30308  USA\n\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\n\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contacts\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E) or Kirk Englehardt (404-407-7280)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kirk.englehardt@gtri.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ekirk.englehardt@gtri.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: Rick Robinson\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers have developed a novel iPhone application that may enable persons with Parkinson\u2019s disease and certain other neurological conditions to use the devices to collect data on hand and arm tremors and relay the results to medical personnel.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new iPhone app may improve monitoring of Parkinson\u0027s Disease"}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2011-06-22 00:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:09:37","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2011-06-22T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2011-06-22T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"68479":{"id":"68479","type":"image","title":"Brian Parise and Robert Delano with iTrem","body":null,"created":"1449177176","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:12:56","changed":"1475894594","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:14"},"68480":{"id":"68480","type":"image","title":"Brian Parise and Robert Delano with iTrem","body":null,"created":"1449177176","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:12:56","changed":"1475894594","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:14"}},"media_ids":["68479","68480"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.gtri.gatech.edu\/","title":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"}],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"153","name":"Computer Science\/Information Technology and Security"},{"id":"143","name":"Digital Media and Entertainment"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"13472","name":"Brian Parise"},{"id":"416","name":"GTRI"},{"id":"13470","name":"iTrem"},{"id":"13471","name":"Parkinson\u0027s"},{"id":"13473","name":"Robert Delano"},{"id":"13474","name":"tremors"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=jt7\u0022\u003EContact John Toon\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404-894-6986\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}