Boehringer Ingelheim, the University of Oxford's Department of Psychiatry and Cumulus Neuroscience are joining forces to provide insights into the day-to-day experiences of people living with psychiatric disorders, and how these experiences relate to their brain activity. The first-of-its-kind study will use novel technology to quantify brain activity, mood and behavior at home in people who have been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD), an often neglected group of patients. The aims are to explore the acceptability of this technology in patients and gain quantitative, fine-grained, insights that could potentially guide the research and development of much-needed new therapies.
Current clinical and lab-based assessments rely on retrospective recall of symptoms. They are thus limited by how accurately patients remember past events and only provide a snapshot in time of an individual’s clinical state. Moreover, self-reported questionnaires lack objectivity. This can lead to an incomplete or inaccurate picture of the overall experience of the individual and the failure of new medicines in clinical studies.
This new study aims to change that. It will use Cumulus' NeuLogiq® neuroassessment platform for the first time in people diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. This platform enables the tracking of brain function over time, both in the clinic and from the comfort of a study participant’s home. Participants use a tablet to perform gamified versions of established objective behavioral tasks, while wearing the NeuLogiq headset which records EEG (electroencephalogram) brain waves that are precisely time-synced to the tasks. The intent is to capture data that will provide a more accurate picture of brain network activity.
In 2019, one in eight people worldwide were estimated to be living with a mental health condition, and half of the adult population can expect to experience a mental illness by age 75.* People diagnosed with severe mental health conditions experience reduced life expectancy relative to the general population, with around 14 years of potential life lost, and the economic consequences of mental health conditions can be enormous. That’s why Boehringer Ingelheim is embracing ‘Precision Psychiatry’. This in-depth research approach delves into the neurobiology of symptoms with the goal of uncovering more targeted and holistic treatment solutions that address specific symptoms in people living serious mental illness to help them to live fulfilling lives.
Read the full story on the Department of Psychiatry website.