Papers by CAROLINE WHYATT
The current rise of neurodevelopmental disorders poses a critical need to detect risk early in or... more The current rise of neurodevelopmental disorders poses a critical need to detect risk early in order to rapidly intervene. One of the tools pediatricians use to track development is the standard growth chart. The growth charts are somewhat limited in predicting possible neurodevelopmental issues. They rely on linear models and assumptions of normality for physical growth data – obscuring key statistical information about possible neurodevelopmental risk in growth data that actually has accelerated, non-linear rates-of-change and variability encompassing skewed distributions. Here, we use new analytics to profile growth data from 36 newborn babies that were tracked longitudinally for 5 months. By switching to incremental (velocity-based) growth charts and combining these dynamic changes with underlying fluctuations in motor performance – as the transition from spontaneous random noise to a systematic signal – we demonstrate a method to detect very early stunting in the development of voluntary neuromotor control and to flag risk of neurodevelopmental derail.
The current rise of neurodevelopmental disorders poses a critical need to detect risk early in or... more The current rise of neurodevelopmental disorders poses a critical need to detect risk early in order to rapidly intervene. One of the tools pediatricians use to track development is the standard growth chart. The growth charts are somewhat limited in predicting possible neurodevelopmental issues. They rely on linear models and assumptions of normality for physical growth data – obscuring key statistical information about possible neurodevelopmental risk in growth data that actually has accelerated, non-linear rates-of-change and variability encompassing skewed distributions. Here, we use new analytics to profile growth data from 36 newborn babies that were tracked longitudinally for 5 months. By switching to incremental (velocity-based) growth charts and combining these dynamic changes with underlying fluctuations in motor performance – as the transition from spontaneous random noise to a systematic signal – we demonstrate a method to detect very early stunting in the development of voluntary neuromotor control and to flag risk of neurodevelopmental derail.
Background: There is a critical need for precision phenotyping across neurodevelopmental disorder... more Background: There is a critical need for precision phenotyping across neurodevelopmental disorders, especially in individuals who receive a clinical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Phelan-McDermid deletion syndrome (PMS) is one such example, as it has a high penetrance of ASD. At present, no biometric characterization of the behavioral phenotype within PMS exists.
This is the Supporting material for the manuscript entitled "Towards Precision Psychiatry: Statis... more This is the Supporting material for the manuscript entitled "Towards Precision Psychiatry: Statistical Platform for the Personalized Characterization of Natural Behaviors"
There is a critical need for new analytics to personalize behavioral data analysis across differe... more There is a critical need for new analytics to personalize behavioral data analysis across different fields, including kinesiology, sports science and behavioral neuroscience. Specifically, to better translate and integrate basic research into patient care we need to radically transform the methods by which we describe and interpret movement data. Here we show that hidden in the ‘noise’, smoothed out by averaging movement kinematics data, lies a wealth of information that selectively differentiates neurological and mental disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD), deafferentation, Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), and Schizophrenia (SZ) from typically developing and typically aging controls. In this report we quantify the continuous forward-and-back pointing movements of participants from a large heterogeneous cohort comprising typical and pathological cases. We empirically estimate the statistical parameters of the probability distributions for each individual in the cohort and report the parameter ranges for each clinical group after characterization of healthy developing and aging groups. We coin this newly proposed platform for individualized behavioral analyses ‘precision phenotyping’ to distinguish it from the type of observational-behavioral phenotyping prevalent in clinical studies or from the ‘one-size-fits-all’ model in basic movement science. We further propose the use of this platform as a unifying statistical framework to characterize brain disorders of known etiology in relation to idiopathic neurological disorders with similar phenotypic manifestations.
We define a new data type that integrates fluctuations in temperature readings with fluctuations ... more We define a new data type that integrates fluctuations in temperature readings with fluctuations in motor performance. This bundle of signals related to the autonomic and sensory-motor systems, allows us to better explore and identify motion signatures that have the potential to be physiologically relevant to both the peripheral and central nervous systems (PNS and CNS). The temperature and the motion (acceleration and gyroscopic) signals are simultaneously registered at the same sampling resolution, 128Hz. The sensors output temperature readings related to several temperature types: skin surface temperature, ambient temperature and temperature related to the battery's energy consumption indicative of the amount of actively generated motion output. The higher the amount of actively generated movements, the more battery energy is drawn, and thus the higher the temperature is (on average). Yet, because there is also adaptation between the person's skin surface and the sensor's surface, the temperature readings fluctuate. Importantly, temperature readings have been found to fluctuate differently if the person is actively vs. passively moving. Specifically, slow rates of change in temperature fluctuations correspond to passively generated motions (as when the person is moved and not generating large motions.) In contrast, actively self-generated motions, particularly those which are larger and more systematic, result in higher rates of change in temperature fluctuations. These temperature fluctuations can therefore be captured and analyzed to provide an indication as to of the amount of adaptive motion from self-generated movements that the individual
Games for health journal, Jan 15, 2015
Falls and fall-related injuries are symptomatic of an aging population. This study aimed to desig... more Falls and fall-related injuries are symptomatic of an aging population. This study aimed to design, develop, and deliver a novel method of balance training, using an interactive game-based system to promote engagement, with the inclusion of older adults at both high and low risk of experiencing a fall. Eighty-two older adults (65 years of age and older) were recruited from sheltered accommodation and local activity groups. Forty volunteers were randomly selected and received 5 weeks of balance game training (5 males, 35 females; mean, 77.18 ± 6.59 years), whereas the remaining control participants recorded levels of physical activity (20 males, 22 females; mean, 76.62 ± 7.28 years). The effect of balance game training was measured on levels of functional balance and balance confidence in individuals with and without quantifiable balance impairments. Balance game training had a significant effect on levels of functional balance and balance confidence (P < 0.05). This was further d...
Computers in Human Behavior, 2015
ABSTRACT Balance maintenance relies on a complex interplay between many different sensory modalit... more ABSTRACT Balance maintenance relies on a complex interplay between many different sensory modalities. Although optimal multisensory processing is thought to decline with ageing, inefficient integration is particularly associated with falls in older adults. We investigated whether improved balance control, following a novel balance training intervention, was associated with more efficient multisensory integration in older adults, particularly those who have fallen in the past. Specifically, 76 healthy and fall-prone older adults were allocated to either a balance training programme conducted over 5 weeks or to a passive control condition. Balance training involved a VR display in which the on-screen position of a target object was controlled by shifts in postural balance on a Wii balance board. Susceptibility to the sound-induced flash illusion, before and after the intervention (or control condition), was used as a measure of multisensory function. Whilst balance and postural control improved for all participants assigned to the Intervention group, improved functional balance was correlated with more efficient multisensory processing in the fall-prone older adults only. Our findings add to growing evidence suggesting important links between balance control and multisensory interactions in the ageing brain and have implications for the development of interventions designed to reduce the risk of falls.
Entertainment Computing, 2014
The research presented in this paper proposes a set of design guidelines in the context of a Park... more The research presented in this paper proposes a set of design guidelines in the context of a Parkinson's Disease (PD) rehabilitation design framework for the development of serious games for the physical therapy of people with PD. The game design guidelines provided in the paper are informed by the study of the literature review and lessons learned from the pilot testing of serious games designed to suit the requirements of rehabilitation of patients with Parkinson's Disease. The proposed PD rehabilitation design framework employed for the games pilot testing utilises a low-cost, customized and off-the-shelf motion capture system (employing commercial game controllers) developed to cater for the unique requirement of the physical therapy of people with PD. Although design guidelines have been proposed before for the design of serious games in health, this is the first research paper to present guidelines for the design of serious games specifically for PD motor rehabilitation.
Seeing and Perceiving, 2012
Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 2013
Rehabilitation Psychology, 2013
To determine the efficacy of a custom-made wheelchair simulation in training children to use a po... more To determine the efficacy of a custom-made wheelchair simulation in training children to use a powered wheelchair (PWC). Design: Randomized controlled trial employing the 4C/ID-model of learning. Twenty-eight typically developing children (13M, 15F; mean age 6 years, SD 6 months) were assessed on their operation of a PWC using a functional evaluation rating scale. Participants were randomly assigned to intervention (8 ϫ 30-minute training sessions using a joystick operated wheelchair simulation) or control conditions (no task), and were reassessed on their PWC use after the intervention phase. Additional data from the simulation on completion times, errors, and total scores were recorded for the intervention group. Results: Analysis of variance showed a main effect of time, with planned comparisons revealing a statistically significant change in PWC use for the intervention (p ϭ .022) but not the control condition. Although the intervention group showed greater improvement than the controls, this did not reach statistical significance. Multiple regression analyses showed that gender was predictive of pretest (p ϭ .005) functional ability. Implications: A simulated wheelchair task appears to be effective in helping children learn to operate a PWC. Greater attention should be given to female learners who underperformed when compared with their male counterparts. This low-cost intervention could be easily used at home to reduce PWC training times in children with motor disorders.
Irish Journal of Medical Science, 2013
Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience, 2013
Despite being largely characterized as a social and cognitive disorder, strong evidence indicates... more Despite being largely characterized as a social and cognitive disorder, strong evidence indicates the presence of significant sensory-motor problems in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This paper outlines our progression from initial, broad assessment using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC2) to subsequent targeted kinematic assessment. In particular, pronounced ASD impairment seen in the broad categories of manual dexterity and ball skills was found to be routed in specific difficulties on isolated tasks, which were translated into focused experimental assessment. Kinematic results from both subsequent studies highlight impaired use of perception-action coupling to guide, adapt and tailor movement to task demands, resulting in inflexible and rigid motor profiles. In particular difficulties with the use of temporal adaption are shown, with "hyperdexterity" witnessed in ballistic movement profiles, often at the cost of spatial accuracy and task performance. By linearly progressing from the use of a standardized assessment tool to targeted kinematic assessment, clear and defined links are drawn between measureable difficulties and underlying sensory-motor assessment. Results are specifically viewed in-light of perception-action coupling and its role in early infant development suggesting that rather than being "secondary" level impairment, sensory-motor problems may be fundamental in the progression of ASD. This logical and systematic process thus allows a further understanding into the potential root of observable motor problems in ASD; a vital step if underlying motor problems are to be considered a fundamental aspect of autism and allow a route of non-invasive preliminary diagnosis.
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Papers by CAROLINE WHYATT