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Anda-Duran ID, Hwang PH, Popp ZT, Low S, Ding H, Rahman S, Igwe A, Kolachalama VB, Lin H, Au R. Matching science to reality: how to deploy a participant-driven digital brain health platform. FRONTIERS IN DEMENTIA 2023; 2:1135451. [PMID: 38706716 PMCID: PMC11067045 DOI: 10.3389/frdem.2023.1135451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Introduction Advances in digital technologies for health research enable opportunities for digital phenotyping of individuals in research and clinical settings. Beyond providing opportunities for advanced data analytics with data science and machine learning approaches, digital technologies offer solutions to several of the existing barriers in research practice that have resulted in biased samples. Methods A participant-driven, precision brain health monitoring digital platform has been introduced to two longitudinal cohort studies, the Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (BU ADRC) and the Bogalusa Heart Study (BHS). The platform was developed with prioritization of digital data in native format, multiple OS, validity of derived metrics, feasibility and usability. A platform including nine remote technologies and three staff-guided digital assessments has been introduced in the BU ADRC population, including a multimodal smartphone application also introduced to the BHS population. Participants select which technologies they would like to use and can manipulate their personal platform and schedule over time. Results Participants from the BU ADRC are using an average of 5.9 technologies to date, providing strong evidence for the usability of numerous digital technologies in older adult populations. Broad phenotyping of both cohorts is ongoing, with the collection of data spanning cognitive testing, sleep, physical activity, speech, motor activity, cardiovascular health, mood, gait, balance, and more. Several challenges in digital phenotyping implementation in the BU ADRC and the BHS have arisen, and the protocol has been revised and optimized to minimize participant burden while sustaining participant contact and support. Discussion The importance of digital data in its native format, near real-time data access, passive participant engagement, and availability of technologies across OS has been supported by the pattern of participant technology use and adherence across cohorts. The precision brain health monitoring platform will be iteratively adjusted and improved over time. The pragmatic study design enables multimodal digital phenotyping of distinct clinically characterized cohorts in both rural and urban U.S. settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ileana De Anda-Duran
- Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Phillip H. Hwang
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Zachary Thomas Popp
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Spencer Low
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Huitong Ding
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
- Framingham Heart Study, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Salman Rahman
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Akwaugo Igwe
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Vijaya B. Kolachalama
- Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Computer Science and Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Honghuang Lin
- Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
| | - Rhoda Au
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
- Framingham Heart Study, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
- Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Neurology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
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Sanborn V, Azcarate-Peril MA, Updegraff J, Manderino L, Gunstad J. Randomized Clinical Trial Examining the Impact of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG Probiotic Supplementation on Cognitive Functioning in Middle-aged and Older Adults. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2020; 16:2765-2777. [PMID: 33223831 PMCID: PMC7671471 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s270035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The gut microbiome has been linked to cognitive function and appears to worsen with aging. Probiotic supplementation has been found to improve the health of the gut microbiome. As such, it is possible that probiotic supplementation may protect the aging brain. The current study examined the cognitive benefits of probiotic supplementation (Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG) in healthy middle-aged and older adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. Two hundred community-dwelling adults aged 52-75 were enrolled (mean age=64.3, SD=5.52). A three-month intervention involved daily consumption of probiotic or placebo. Independent sample t-tests, chi-squared tests, and repeated measure ANOVAs compared groups and examined changes over time. Primary outcome was change in NIH Toolbox Total Cognition Score from baseline to follow-up. RESULTS A total of 145 participants were examined in primary analyses (probiotic=77, placebo=68) and excluded persons due to discontinuation, low adherence, missing data, or outlier values. Established criteria (ie ≥1 subtest t-scores ≤35; n=19, n=23) were used to operationally define cognitive impairment. Repeated measures ANOVAs revealed that persons with cognitive impairment who consumed probiotics exhibited a greater total cognition score improvement than persons with cognitive impairment in the placebo group and cognitively intact persons in probiotic or placebo groups. CONCLUSION Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG probiotic supplementation was associated with improved cognitive performance in middle-aged and older adults with cognitive impairment. Probiotic supplementation may be a novel method for protecting cognitive health in aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Sanborn
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
| | - M Andrea Azcarate-Peril
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology and Microbiome Core Facility, UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - John Updegraff
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
| | - Lisa Manderino
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
| | - John Gunstad
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
- Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
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