NeuroKit® test used in the United Kingdom
For two studies in the United Kingdom, a sponsor used alternate side tapping, one of the tests included in the new NeuroKit. CHDR analysed the data from these trials.
‘It's an excellent opportunity to test our NeuroKit concept in a limited form and fine-tune our logistics, operations and training,’ says Senior Manager of Wearable Solutions and New Services Dr Vasilis Exadaktylos. The NeuroKit, CHDR's portable CNS testing platform, is currently undergoing validation testing. Its side tapping test can be performed independently of the platform on a tablet computer. The first studies with the compound were performed at CHDR in healthy study participants. Exadaktylos: “This is an ideal scenario for us; with a compound we are familiar with and a sponsor who already has experience with our approach and the classic NeuroCart® test battery and who is curious to see how the same measurements look in patients.”
Tapping
The tapping task was developed by the Biomarker Engineering and Analytics team as a biomarker for bradykinesia and rigidity. Participants are asked to alternately touch one of two circles on a screen with their index finger. A machine-learning based analysis of the movement pattern in this alternate side tapping (AST) task proved to be a reliable biomarker, which has since been used in studies with PD. The test is well validated and standardised, and it is relatively easy to instruct measurement assistants in its use. ‘That’s why we are confident to apply this test in a sponsored study, even though the NeuroKit as a whole is still being validated’, says Exadaktylos.
As with the regular NeuroKit, the test data from the two studies were sent to the CHDR servers and analysed in the context of previous measurements. Exadaktylos: 'The final outcome of the test is a single metric that is easy to interpret. In that respect, too, this test is a lot simpler than some of the other tests in the NeuroKit. This allows us to concentrate on all the operational aspects, from the transport of lithium batteries to data transfers and on-site trainings. It is an important step towards broader implementation of the NeuroKit service package in studies outside the Netherlands.'
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