Cervical dystonia (CD) is one of the most chronic neurological syndromes, leading patients to repetitive movements and abnormal postures. CD patients suffer substantial decrease in function and quality of life including normal activities of daily living such as cooking, dressing, eating, and driving. The traditional methods for assessment of CD have involved clinical rating scales that is the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating-2 (TWSTRS-2) [1]. However, rating these scales based on visual observation is subject to change upon the level of training and expertise of the clinician, which significantly prevents rapid and accurate identification of CD.

Here, we introduce the first demonstration of a soft skin-like, wireless electronic system, referred to as “SKINTRONICS”, which can quantify 4 types of disorder (torticollis, laterocollis, retrocollis, and anterocollis) and the severity levels of symptoms. The ideas begin with the employment of a highly sensitive accelerometer for accurate recording of total head movements in a soft, ultrathin, conformal wearable platform. The soft-membrane construction allows the biopatch gently and seamlessly mounted on the forehead of a patient with negligible effects on natural head motions while supplying sufficient and reliable digital signals throughout the diagnostic process of CD. To validate the device accuracy, a direct comparison between SKINTRONICS-based assessment and TWSTRS-2 based manual assessment is provided from a clinical study with 5 patients and 5 healthy subjects. Collective results indicate the new class of technology platforms for wireless, diverse, accurate monitoring of abnormal head movements illuminates more effective and safe treatments to patients for improved CD healthcare.

Reference

[1] C. L. Comella et al., Mov. Disord. 2016, 31(4), 563-569.