A game app to measure arm movement in children with cerebral palsy
Official title: Game-based Mobile-Health Quantification of Upper-Limb Motor Performance in Children with Hemiparetic Cerebral Palsy
Funded at Marquette University · NIH-11158930 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project is testing a fun game app on an iPad to help understand arm and hand movements in children who have a type of cerebral palsy.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Marquette University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Milwaukee, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $236,876 |
| NIH project number | 5R21HD114094-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11158930 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children aged 0-11 years old with hemiparetic cerebral palsy, as well as typically-developing children of the same age, would be ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not have hemiparetic cerebral palsy or are outside the specified age range may not directly benefit from this particular research.
What this research studies
Children with hemiparetic cerebral palsy often have difficulty with arm and hand movements, which can make everyday activities challenging. Currently, measuring these movements can be difficult, requiring special equipment or in-person visits that might be subjective. Our team has created an interactive game app for the iPad that aims to objectively measure these movements in a fun way. We will have children with cerebral palsy and typically developing children play these games during two visits to a lab. This will help us make sure the app is accurate and easy to use.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this app could provide an easier, more objective way to track arm and hand movement changes, helping doctors plan better treatments for children with cerebral palsy.
How similar studies have gone: This project is testing a newly developed mobile health application, so its specific approach is novel and its effectiveness is being assessed for the first time.
Where this research is happening
-
Marquette University
Milwaukee, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nemanich, Samuel Thomas — Marquette University
- Study coordinator: Nemanich, Samuel Thomas
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Measuring how kids with cerebral palsy adapt their walking
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Precise measure of how CP affects movement to guide treatment
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Physiologic marker to predict cerebral palsy early in high-risk babies
Aims to create an early, easy screen using NICU vital signs to flag infants at higher risk for cerebral palsy so families can get timely follow-up.
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Post-surgical foot deformities in adults with cerebral palsy: understanding long-term function
This research looks at how hindfoot problems in adults with cerebral palsy behave over time after childhood surgeries and what factors influence their lasting function.
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Dynamic Brain Imaging of Cerebral Palsy Gait
This project uses advanced brain and spinal imaging to understand how cerebral palsy affects the way young people plan and control their leg movements during walking.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.