Apple, Eli Lilly study seeks to determine whether iPhone and Apple Watch can detect dement...
A research paper published this week reveals Apple and pharmaceutical titan Eli Lilly and Company are working together to determine whether consumer devices like iPhone and Apple Watch can manage Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
Conducted in collaboration with health-tech startup Evidation, the study describes methods by which consumer electronic devices are used to detect signs of cognitive impairments, reports CNBC.
"With this research, we looked at how everyday behavior data, such as those captured by iPhones, Apple Watches, and Beddit sleep monitors, may be effective in differentiating between individuals with mild cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer's disease, and those without symptoms," Evidation co-founder Christine Lemke said in a statement to the publication.
As noted in the report, the study lasted 12 weeks and involved 113 people who were provided an iPhone, Apple Watch and Beddit sleep tracker. A total of 31 people suffering from dementia and other cognitive ailments were tested against a control group of 82 people, with all participants asked to refrain from treating symptoms with medication during the test phase.
Sensors in iPhone were used to track steps taken, while data was pulled from apps that incorporate typing functions. The handset was also used to facilitate a daily survey. Apple Watch tracked movement, heart rate, workout sessions, app usage, Breathe sessions, hours standing and other metrics, while Beddit was employed to measure a user's circadian rhythm.
Using data from iPhone, the report's authors discovered participants with cognitive issues typed more slowly, more irregularly and did not text as often as those in the control group, the report said. Further, the symptomatic group began to show regular activity -- as measured by iPhone's accelerometer -- later in the day and displayed a reliance on helper apps and services like Clock and Siri suggestions. People with signs of cognitive decline also answered a daily one-question survey less often and later in the day than those in the control group.
Apple data scientist Richard Chen is cited as a lead author, while three other Apple employees with backgrounds in data science and and machine learning contributed to the report. Chen left the company in February, according to his LinkedIn profile. A member of Apple's special projects team, Andrew Trister, M.D., Ph.D., is also credited as a contributor.
The report's authors are cautious about the prospect of using iPhone, Apple Watch and similar devices to detect and monitor symptoms of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease, saying additional research and validation is needed before such applications can become a reality.
Results of the study will be discussed at the KDD 2019 conference in Anchorage, Alaska, on Thursday.
Apple is increasing investment into health-related technologies, an initiative currently spearheaded by technology integrated into Apple Watch. The latest version of the wearable boasts a next-generation heart rate sensor and includes the first FDA-approved over-the-counter electrocardiogram.
Conducted in collaboration with health-tech startup Evidation, the study describes methods by which consumer electronic devices are used to detect signs of cognitive impairments, reports CNBC.
"With this research, we looked at how everyday behavior data, such as those captured by iPhones, Apple Watches, and Beddit sleep monitors, may be effective in differentiating between individuals with mild cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer's disease, and those without symptoms," Evidation co-founder Christine Lemke said in a statement to the publication.
As noted in the report, the study lasted 12 weeks and involved 113 people who were provided an iPhone, Apple Watch and Beddit sleep tracker. A total of 31 people suffering from dementia and other cognitive ailments were tested against a control group of 82 people, with all participants asked to refrain from treating symptoms with medication during the test phase.
Sensors in iPhone were used to track steps taken, while data was pulled from apps that incorporate typing functions. The handset was also used to facilitate a daily survey. Apple Watch tracked movement, heart rate, workout sessions, app usage, Breathe sessions, hours standing and other metrics, while Beddit was employed to measure a user's circadian rhythm.
Using data from iPhone, the report's authors discovered participants with cognitive issues typed more slowly, more irregularly and did not text as often as those in the control group, the report said. Further, the symptomatic group began to show regular activity -- as measured by iPhone's accelerometer -- later in the day and displayed a reliance on helper apps and services like Clock and Siri suggestions. People with signs of cognitive decline also answered a daily one-question survey less often and later in the day than those in the control group.
Apple data scientist Richard Chen is cited as a lead author, while three other Apple employees with backgrounds in data science and and machine learning contributed to the report. Chen left the company in February, according to his LinkedIn profile. A member of Apple's special projects team, Andrew Trister, M.D., Ph.D., is also credited as a contributor.
The report's authors are cautious about the prospect of using iPhone, Apple Watch and similar devices to detect and monitor symptoms of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease, saying additional research and validation is needed before such applications can become a reality.
Results of the study will be discussed at the KDD 2019 conference in Anchorage, Alaska, on Thursday.
Apple is increasing investment into health-related technologies, an initiative currently spearheaded by technology integrated into Apple Watch. The latest version of the wearable boasts a next-generation heart rate sensor and includes the first FDA-approved over-the-counter electrocardiogram.
Comments
Like I mentioned in the Intel acquisition thread. Apple doesn't JUST acquire a company without a long term vision.
Now I don't have to.
Another is Apple will never be able to detect dementia because those able to make use of the Apple Watch is proof that they are more cognitively sound than those who don't.
Back in topic, this is super interesting. A number of companies are working on measuring these phone interactions and they show early results of correlating user interactions with cognitive functions (digital biomarkers). This field is expanding quickly.
Ironically, lately the "low carb" fad diets are blaming "carbs" - where they conveniently glomb oatmeal in with donuts and CocaCola. And, the truly ironic part of that is: They push people into eating more animal products (loaded with animal fats) which produces the root cause of diabetes: Insulin Resistance. Then when those low-carbers eat even healthy foods, their insulin levels spike because their insulin can't work so their pancreas just keeps pushing out more and more insulin till it craps out.
Basically, the Low-Carb" thing becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy -- it causes the disease it is purported to prevent!
So that’s interesting that animal fats can cause insulin resistance. I’d be curious to know studies point to this and what the primary vector is in the fats.
I ask this because my mother, who is 75, grew up in a household where her father demanded that all the children eat fat along with their meat. He believed it was healthy. Ironically, my grandfather lived to 98. My mother tells this story because of the now common belief that fats are universally bad.
But I have read that some fats are, in fact, healthy for you because they contain some nutrients that are difficult to find elsewhere. Which might be true as long as you don’t overdo it. And vitamin and mineral supplements have been found to have minimal efficacy. So the real thing appears to be better.
There are two things blocking a complete, 100% acceptance of that -- and both keep the focus on the symptom (high blood glucose levels): First and probably foremost, few physicians measure insulin resistance and instead only measure the symptom (sugar levels) -- which keeps everybody focused on the symptom rather than the cause. And second, when a sedentary person eats excess "carbs" they can indirectly promote insulin resistance because, when you flood your body with them (say by washing down a couple donuts with a 20 ounce CocaCola), your body goes into an emergency response where those sugars are converted into animal fats as your body tries to clear them out of the blood stream -- so again, the focus stays on the "carbs" (which is mostly junk food).
(In general, our healthcare system only tries to manage the symptoms of the chronic diseases that are ravaging our developed world. For heart disease they bypass the clogged artery rather than addressing what caused it to be clogged. And, for Type 2 Diabetes they are only concerned with glucose levels rather than the underlying insulin resistance)
As for "healthy fats" I am leary of them. I have seen no convincing evidence that they promote health -- just a lot of rhetoric. The PrediMed study for instance: They put the people on a full Mediterranean Diet loaded with whole grains, fruits, veggies and beans - plus either olive oil or tree nuts -- and their cardiac health improved. And the conclusion was that the health benefits must have derived from the olive oil and tree nuts --- and the fact that they converted from the Standard American Diet of mostly red & processed meats, fried foods and junk food to whole grains, fruits, veggies, and beans (all widely acknowledged as the world's healthiest foods) was largely ignored. I just don't find that a very convincing analysis.
... On the other hand, I have seen no convincing argument against "healthy fats" promoting health -- so I am watching that closely.