Digital tic-detection partner to support Tourette syndrome therapy
Official title: SCH: Computer Vision Algorithms to Detect Tics In Patients with Tourette Syndrome
Funded at University of Pennsylvania · NIH-11359761 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A computer vision system will help detect tics in children and youths with Tourette syndrome to support behavioral therapy at home and in real life.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | September 18, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $300,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R01NS135613-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11359761 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children and adolescents with Tourette syndrome who are candidates for behavioral therapy and have access to the digital practice partner.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not using behavioral therapy or those without access to the necessary sensors or digital tools may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project aims to create an activity-based recognition system that uses multiple sensors to detect and classify tics in people with Tourette syndrome. The system will be developed into a scalable digital practice partner to guide and reinforce behavior therapy skills outside clinical visits. Researchers will build a hierarchical tic ontology and a multi-view sensor setup to observe tics during daily activities. The goal is to improve accessibility to evidence-based behavioral therapy and sustain long-term benefits for patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could practice therapy skills more accurately and conveniently at home, potentially reducing tic severity and reliance on medications.
How similar studies have gone: Previous behavior-therapy support tools have shown promise; this project extends those ideas with a multi-view sensing approach and advanced tic labeling.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Vidal, Rene — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Vidal, Rene
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Precision brain mapping of tics in children with Tourette syndrome
A new study uses advanced MRI to map brain activity in individual kids with Tourette syndrome to understand why tics differ from child to child.
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Quantifying Tourette tics with video and computer tools
This project aims to develop and test video-based, automated ways to measure tic severity in people with Tourette Syndrome.
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Brain-feedback training to help teens with Tourette control tics
This project teaches teenagers with Tourette syndrome to use real-time MRI brain-feedback to change activity in a motor brain area with the goal of reducing tics.
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International collaboration mapping genes and brain scans in Tourette syndrome
This project brings together MRI brain scans and genetic data from people with Tourette syndrome and related conditions to spot biological patterns linked to tics and co-occurring symptoms.
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How Tourette syndrome develops in the brain
Researchers are using donated brain tissue and patient-derived stem cells to learn why people with Tourette syndrome have fewer specific brain cells in the basal ganglia.
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Investigating brain imaging and cognitive markers in children with Tourette syndrome
This study is looking at how Tourette syndrome affects kids by using brain scans and tests over time to see how their brain functions change as they grow, with the goal of finding ways to help manage their symptoms better.
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.