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Xian J, Thalwitzer KM, McKee J, Sullivan KR, Brimble E, Fitch E, Toib J, Kaufman MC, deCampo D, Cunningham K, Pierce SR, Goss J, Rigby CS, Syrbe S, Boland M, Prosser B, Fitter N, Ruggiero SM, Helbig I. Delineating clinical and developmental outcomes in STXBP1-related disorders. Brain 2023; 146:5182-5197. [PMID: 38015929 PMCID: PMC10689925 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awad287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023] Open
Abstract
STXBP1-related disorders are among the most common genetic epilepsies and neurodevelopmental disorders. However, the longitudinal epilepsy course and developmental end points, have not yet been described in detail, which is a critical prerequisite for clinical trial readiness. Here, we assessed 1281 cumulative patient-years of seizure and developmental histories in 162 individuals with STXBP1-related disorders and established a natural history framework. STXBP1-related disorders are characterized by a dynamic pattern of seizures in the first year of life and high variability in neurodevelopmental trajectories in early childhood. Epilepsy onset differed across seizure types, with 90% cumulative onset for infantile spasms by 6 months and focal-onset seizures by 27 months of life. Epilepsy histories diverged between variant subgroups in the first 2 years of life, when individuals with protein-truncating variants and deletions in STXBP1 (n = 39) were more likely to have infantile spasms between 5 and 6 months followed by seizure remission, while individuals with missense variants (n = 30) had an increased risk for focal seizures and ongoing seizures after the first year. Developmental outcomes were mapped using milestone acquisition data in addition to standardized assessments including the Gross Motor Function Measure-66 Item Set and the Grasping and Visual-Motor Integration subsets of the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales. Quantification of end points revealed high variability during the first 5 years of life, with emerging stratification between clinical subgroups. An earlier epilepsy onset was associated with lower developmental abilities, most prominently when assessing gross motor development and expressive communication. We found that individuals with neonatal seizures or early infantile seizures followed by seizure offset by 12 months of life had more predictable seizure trajectories in early to late childhood compared to individuals with more severe seizure presentations, including individuals with refractory epilepsy throughout the first year. Characterization of anti-seizure medication response revealed age-dependent response over time, with phenobarbital, levetiracetam, topiramate and adrenocorticotropic hormone effective in reducing seizures in the first year of life, while clobazam and the ketogenic diet were effective in long-term seizure management. Virtual clinical trials using seizure frequency as the primary outcome resulted in wide range of trial success probabilities across the age span, with the highest probability in early childhood between 1 year and 3.5 years. In summary, we delineated epilepsy and developmental trajectories in STXBP1-related disorders using standardized measures, providing a foundation to interpret future therapeutic strategies and inform rational trial design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Xian
- Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative (ENGIN), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics (DBHi), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19146, USA
- Epilepsy and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Center (ENDD), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Kim Marie Thalwitzer
- Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative (ENGIN), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics (DBHi), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19146, USA
- Division of Pediatric Epileptology, Centre for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jillian McKee
- Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative (ENGIN), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics (DBHi), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19146, USA
- Epilepsy and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Center (ENDD), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Katie Rose Sullivan
- Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative (ENGIN), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics (DBHi), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19146, USA
- Epilepsy and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Center (ENDD), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Elise Brimble
- Ciitizen Natural History Registry, Invitae, San Francisco, CA 94017, USA
| | - Eryn Fitch
- Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative (ENGIN), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Jonathan Toib
- Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative (ENGIN), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Michael C Kaufman
- Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative (ENGIN), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics (DBHi), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19146, USA
| | - Danielle deCampo
- Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative (ENGIN), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Epilepsy and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Center (ENDD), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Kristin Cunningham
- Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative (ENGIN), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Epilepsy and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Center (ENDD), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Samuel R Pierce
- Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative (ENGIN), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Epilepsy and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Center (ENDD), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | | | | | - Steffen Syrbe
- Division of Pediatric Epileptology, Centre for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michael Boland
- Epilepsy and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Center (ENDD), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Institute for Genomic Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Benjamin Prosser
- Epilepsy and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Center (ENDD), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Physiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Nasha Fitter
- Ciitizen Natural History Registry, Invitae, San Francisco, CA 94017, USA
| | - Sarah M Ruggiero
- Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative (ENGIN), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Epilepsy and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Center (ENDD), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Ingo Helbig
- Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative (ENGIN), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics (DBHi), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19146, USA
- Epilepsy and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Center (ENDD), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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Xian J, Thalwitzer KM, McKee J, Sullivan KR, Brimble E, Fitch E, Toib J, Kaufman MC, deCampo D, Cunningham K, Pierce SR, Goss J, Rigby CS, Syrbe S, Boland M, Prosser B, Fitter N, Ruggiero SM, Helbig I. Delineating clinical and developmental outcomes in STXBP1-related disorders. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.05.10.23289776. [PMID: 37215006 PMCID: PMC10197795 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.10.23289776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
STXBP1-related disorders are among the most common genetic epilepsies and neurodevelopmental disorders. However, the longitudinal epilepsy course and developmental endpoints have not yet been described in detail, which is a critical prerequisite for clinical trial readiness. Here, we assessed 1,281 cumulative patient-years of seizure and developmental histories in 162 individuals with STXBP1-related disorders and established a natural history framework. STXBP1-related disorders are characterized by a dynamic pattern of seizures in the first year of life and high variability in neurodevelopmental trajectories in early childhood. Epilepsy onset differed across seizure types, with 90% cumulative onset for infantile spasms by 6 months and focal-onset seizures by 27 months of life. Epilepsy histories diverged between variant subgroups in the first 2 years of life, when individuals with protein-truncating variants and deletions in STXBP1 (n=39) were more likely to have infantile spasms between 5 and 6 months followed by seizure remission, while individuals with missense variants (n=30) had an increased risk for focal seizures and ongoing seizures after the first year. Developmental outcomes were mapped using milestone acquisition data in addition to standardized assessments including the Gross Motor Function Measure-66 Item Set and the Grasping and Visual-Motor Integration subsets of the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales. Quantification of endpoints revealed high variability during the first five years of life, with emerging stratification between clinical subgroups, most prominently between individuals with and without infantile spasms. We found that individuals with neonatal seizures or early infantile seizures followed by seizure offset by 12 months of life had more predictable seizure trajectories in early to late childhood than compared to individuals with more severe seizure presentations, including individuals with refractory epilepsy throughout the first year. Characterization of anti-seizure medication response revealed age-dependent response over time, with phenobarbital, levetiracetam, topiramate, and adrenocorticotropic hormone effective in reducing seizures in the first year of life, while clobazam and the ketogenic diet were effective in long-term seizure management. Virtual clinical trials using seizure frequency as the primary outcome resulted in wide range of trial success probabilities across the age span, with the highest probability in early childhood between 1 year and 3.5 years. In summary, we delineated epilepsy and developmental trajectories in STXBP1-related disorders using standardized measures, providing a foundation to interpret future therapeutic strategies and inform rational trial design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Xian
- Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative (ENGIN), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics (DBHi), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19146, USA
- Epilepsy and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Center (ENDD), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Kim Marie Thalwitzer
- Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative (ENGIN), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics (DBHi), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19146, USA
- Division of Pediatric Epileptology, Centre for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jillian McKee
- Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative (ENGIN), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics (DBHi), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19146, USA
- Epilepsy and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Center (ENDD), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Katie Rose Sullivan
- Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative (ENGIN), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics (DBHi), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19146, USA
- Epilepsy and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Center (ENDD), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | | | - Eryn Fitch
- Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative (ENGIN), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Jonathan Toib
- Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative (ENGIN), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Michael C. Kaufman
- Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative (ENGIN), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics (DBHi), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19146, USA
| | - Danielle deCampo
- Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative (ENGIN), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Epilepsy and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Center (ENDD), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Kristin Cunningham
- Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative (ENGIN), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Epilepsy and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Center (ENDD), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Samuel R. Pierce
- Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative (ENGIN), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Epilepsy and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Center (ENDD), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | | | | | - Steffen Syrbe
- Division of Pediatric Epileptology, Centre for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michael Boland
- Epilepsy and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Center (ENDD), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Institute for Genomic Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Ben Prosser
- Epilepsy and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Center (ENDD), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Physiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | | | - Sarah M. Ruggiero
- Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative (ENGIN), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Epilepsy and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Center (ENDD), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Ingo Helbig
- Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative (ENGIN), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics (DBHi), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19146, USA
- Epilepsy and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Center (ENDD), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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Thurm A, Halladay A, Mandell D, Maye M, Ethridge S, Farmer C. Making Research Possible: Barriers and Solutions For Those With ASD and ID. J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 52:4646-4650. [PMID: 34716842 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-05320-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Participation in research can provide direct and indirect benefit to individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), their caregivers, families, and society at large. Unfortunately, individuals with high support needs, including those with intellectual disability, cognitive disability or minimal verbal ability, are often systematically excluded from research on ASD. This limits the ability to generalize discoveries to all people with ASD, and results in a disparity in who benefits from research. This piece outlines the importance and extent of the problem, which is part of a broader lack of inclusivity in ASD research. It also provides examples of studies that have directly addressed issues that arise when conducting inclusive research and makes recommendations for researchers to reduce disparities in research participation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Thurm
- National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Alycia Halladay
- Autism Science Foundation, New York, NY, USA
- Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
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Mobile-Health Technologies for a Child Neuropsychiatry Service: Development and Usability of the Assioma Digital Platform. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18052758. [PMID: 33803179 PMCID: PMC7967477 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18052758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
We developed an m-Health platform to support clinical pathways in a child and adolescent neuropsychiatry unit. The Assioma platform was created for tablets, smartphones and PCs, to support data collection and clinical workflow, to promote constant communication between patients, caregivers and clinicians, and to promote active family involvement in day hospital (DH) procedures. Through the Assioma application for tablets, caregivers filled out an anamnestic questionnaire and explored contents on the DH procedures and neurodevelopmental conditions. The application for smartphones included an agenda function for the DH pathways. Through the application for desktops, clinicians could export anamnestic information in text and Excel formats, send real-time notifications, and push relative contents to families' account. We tested the usability and satisfaction of the Assioma platform in a group of children, caregivers (N = 24) and clinicians (N = 6). Both families and clinicians gave high scores to almost all usability items. The overall satisfaction reached the highest levels at 50% satisfied for families and at 33% for clinicians. Our results indicate that the Assioma platform has the potential to optimize clinical pathways, increasing compliance and clinical efficiency, and to reduce in-person contacts supporting social distancing for clinical pathways, a crucial need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Thurm A, Kelleher B, Wheeler A. Outcome Measures for Core Symptoms of Intellectual Disability: State of the Field. AMERICAN JOURNAL ON INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2020; 125:418-433. [PMID: 33211819 DOI: 10.1352/1944-7558-125.6.418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2019] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Intellectual disability (ID) is defined by impairments in intellectual and adaptive functioning. As such, tools designed to assess these domains would theoretically be ideal outcome measures for treatment trials targeting core symptoms of ID. However, measures of intellectual and adaptive functioning have rarely been used as primary outcome measures to date and further study is needed regarding their usefulness to measure change. This area of inquiry is important because promising, mechanism-modifying treatments for conditions leading to ID are being initiated. To show efficacy, these treatments need to demonstrate an impact on core features of ID. After reviewing literature on this topic, we suggest solutions to several problems outlined, including use of out-of-age-range testing, alternative metrics, and development of new measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Thurm
- Audrey Thurm, National Institute of Mental Health
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Kelleher BL, Halligan T, Witthuhn N, Neo WS, Hamrick L, Abbeduto L. Bringing the Laboratory Home: PANDABox Telehealth-Based Assessment of Neurodevelopmental Risk in Children. Front Psychol 2020; 11:1634. [PMID: 32849001 PMCID: PMC7399221 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Advances in clinical trials have revealed a pressing need for outcome measures appropriate for children with neurogenetic syndromes (NGS). However, the field lacks a standardized, flexible protocol for collecting laboratory-grade experimental data remotely. To address this challenge, we developed PANDABox (Parent-Administered Neurodevelopmental Assessment), a caregiver-facilitated, remotely administered assessment protocol for collecting integrated and high quality clinical, behavioral, and spectral data relevant to a wide array of research questions. Here, we describe PANDABox development and report preliminary data regarding: (1) logistics and cost, (2) caregiver fidelity and satisfaction, and (3) data quality. Methods We administered PANDABox to a cohort of 16 geographically diverse caregivers and their infants with Down syndrome. Tasks assessed attention, language, motor, and atypical behaviors. Behavioral and physiological data were synchronized and coded offline by trained research assistants. Results PANDABox required low resources to administer and was well received by families, with high caregiver fidelity (94%) and infant engagement (91%), as well as high caregiver-reported satisfaction (97% positive). Missing data rates were low for video frames (3%) and vocalization recordings (6%) but were higher for heart rate (25% fully missing and 13% partially missing) and discrete behavioral presses (8% technical issues and 19% not enough codable behavior), reflecting the increased technical demands for these activities. Conclusion With further development, low-cost laboratory-grade research protocols may be remotely administered by caregivers in the family home, opening a new frontier for cost-efficient, scalable assessment studies for children with NGS other neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridgette L Kelleher
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Taylor Halligan
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Nicole Witthuhn
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Wei Siong Neo
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Lisa Hamrick
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Leonard Abbeduto
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
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