Using wearable technology to monitor emotional responses in patients with frontotemporal dementia
Official title: Digital monitoring of autonomic activity to detect empathy loss in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia
Funded at University of Pennsylvania · NIH-10895560 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how changes in your body's automatic responses can help us understand why some people with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia have trouble feeling empathy, using smartwatches to track these responses in a comfortable way.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $162,876 |
| NIH project number | 5K23AG083124-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-10895560 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are adults diagnosed with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia who are experiencing symptoms of social and emotional dysfunction.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with other forms of dementia or those without significant social and emotional dysfunction may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates how changes in autonomic nervous system activity can help understand the loss of empathy in patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). By utilizing advanced wearable technology, such as smartwatches, researchers aim to measure physiological responses unobtrusively, allowing for a more accurate assessment of empathy loss. The study seeks to identify specific patterns of autonomic activity that correlate with social and emotional dysfunction in these patients. This innovative approach aims to overcome limitations of traditional measurement methods that can restrict patient movement and introduce bias.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to better understanding and management of empathy loss in bvFTD, potentially improving patient care and caregiver support.
How similar studies have gone: While the use of wearable technology in monitoring autonomic activity is gaining traction, this specific application in bvFTD is relatively novel and has not been extensively tested.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Rhodes, Emma — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Rhodes, Emma
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Investigating how DNA damage and repair mechanisms are altered in ALS and frontotemporal dementia.
This study is looking at how problems with DNA repair might contribute to conditions like ALS and frontotemporal dementia, and it’s testing ways to fix these issues in cells from patients to help develop new treatments.
-
Exploring how oxidative stress and ferroptosis affect frontotemporal dementia
A study using human iPSC-derived neurons from people with frontotemporal dementia to see how reactive oxygen species and a cell death process called ferroptosis relate to disease features.
-
Automated language analysis for Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English speakers
A low-cost, automated speech and language analysis tool is being developed to help identify Alzheimer’s disease or frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English-speaking people.
-
Automated language analysis for Alzheimer’s and frontotemporal dementia across Latino and English-speaking groups
A low-cost, automated language study aims to help diagnose and understand Alzheimer’s and FTD in diverse Spanish- and English-speaking communities.
-
Automated language analysis to help diagnose Alzheimer’s and frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English speakers
A low-cost, computer-based method analyzes speech and language to help identify Alzheimer’s disease or frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English-speaking people.
-
Automated language analysis for Alzheimer's and frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English-speaking communities
A low-cost, computer-based language analysis method is being developed to help identify Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English-speaking people.
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.