Evidence from ClinicalTrials.gov on the growth of Digital Health Technologies in neurology trials

• Published in: NPJ digital medicine Vol. 6; no. 1; pp. 23 - 5
• Main Authors: Masanneck, Lars, Gieseler, Pauline, Gordon, William J., Meuth, Sven G., Stern, Ariel D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 10.02.2023; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 692/308/2779/109; 692/617; Alzheimer's disease; Biomedicine; Biotechnology; Brief Communication; Clinical trials; Dementia; Digital technology; Epilepsy; Medical research; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Motor ability; Multiple sclerosis; Neurology; Parkinson's disease; Research methodology; Speech; Speech disorders
• ISSN: 2398-6352; 2398-6352
• DOI: 10.1038/s41746-023-00767-1

Digital Health Technologies (DHTs) such as connected sensors offer particular promise for improving data collection and patient empowerment in neurology research and care. This study analyzed the recent evolution of the use of DHTs in trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov for four chronic neurological disorders: epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease. We document growth in the collection of both more established digital measures (e.g., motor function) and more novel digital measures (e.g., speech) over recent years, highlighting contexts of use and key trends.