Mobile app maker AnthroTronix launches Phase II of Alzheimer's caregiver study

By Emily Wasserman Jul 26, 2016 4:47pm

Mobile app maker AnthroTronix is launching the second phase of a study that uses mobile technology to track brain issues in people who care for Alzheimer’s patients.

The Silver Spring, MD-based company will work with case management outfit Mindoula and two nonprofits, the BrightFocus Foundation and the Geoffrey Beene Foundation Alzheimer’s Initiative, to carry out Phase II of the study, dubbed “Health-eBrain.” Phase I of the research showed that informal caregivers, or unpaid individuals without formal medical training, had cognitive impairment when caring for patients with Alzheimer's.

Based on those results, AnthroTronix has set two objectives for Phase II. One includes identifying “caregiver stressors that could be possible causes for this cognitive impairment,” and another is establishing “an intervention that could help these caregivers with their mental health,” CEO Cori Lathan said in a statement.

During Phase II of the study, scientists will track caregivers’ sleep, mood, stress levels and self-evaluation over 12 weeks by looking at information logged in AnthroTronix’s FDA-approved mobile app. Study participants who show signs of depression will also gain access to Mindoula’s case management services.

The hope is that the technology could help reduce stress levels and improve brain function in caregivers. The study also could shed light on a little-explored area of Alzheimer’s care, P. Murali Doraiswamy, an adviser to the study and to AnthroTronix, said in a statement.

“Although the emotional toll of caregiving is well-studied, much less is known about its long term impact on the caregiver’s cognitive health. The Health-eBrain study will pioneer the use of mobile tools for assessing and monitoring the emotional and cognitive wellbeing of Alzheimer’s caregivers,” Doraiswamy said.

- read the release (PDF)

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