From the University of Côte d’Azur sensors and movements to detect apathy

L’Université de la Côte d’Azur and the University of Florence have implemented an innovative project that aims tofind concrete, measurable indicators of apathy by observing motor behavior. This condition, often confused in common parlance with a simple lack of desire or motivation, could in realityhide neurological diseases and psychiatric disorders thus more easily detectable.

Apathy from a medical perspective

From a medical point of view, apathy represents adeeper difficulty on the part of the brainwho has difficulty taking actions, taking initiative or participating in social relationships. This condition is observed quite frequently in correlation with various pathologies, notablyAlzheimer’s diseaseAnd thereParkinson’s disease as well as with various psychiatric disorders such asÂdepression.

Despite its prevalence, it often remainsdifficult to identify precisely based solely on questionnaires and clinical observations inevitably linked to the subjective perception of the patient or their loved ones. It is precisely to overcome this diagnostic obstacle that the Pisain neuropsychologistGianmaria Mancioppi a conçu et présenté à Biot une recherche développée for this at the CoBTeK laboratory at the University of the Côte d’Azur.

The University of the Côte d’Azur’s project to detect apathy

Underpinning the University of the Côte d’Azur study to identify apathy is the idea thatdaily actions change depending on the intention with which they are performed. For example, when grabbing a bottle to drink alone, the movement is not identical to that used to hand it to another person, differences that are almost completely automatic in everyday life.

According to researchers, however, people who exhibit a form of social apathy tend todo not modulate their behavior depending on their interlocutor. This lack of variation in their attitude only signals less integration between social intention and action, which may be a sign of a latent state of mind and psychological alteration.

An experiment with wearable sensors

In order to verify the veracity of this hypothesis, study participants are invited to perform a few very simple actions seated in front of a table, in particular taking a bottle placed in a specific location. During the experiment, they wearsmall sensors attached to the wrist and containing accelerometers and gyroscopes capable of recording with great precision the speed, orientation and trajectory of the arm.

The information is therefore recorded several dozen times per second and sent to a computer, where it is analyzed in order to identify possible differences between movements carried out in an individual context and those which involve social interaction. Ultimately, researchers hopedevelop a tool capable of quantifying the degree of apathy of a patientthus providing doctors with an indicator similar to those used to monitor other health parameters.

From experimentation to clinical practice

The aim of the Université Cote d’Azur study aimed at detecting apathy is not to replace the traditional clinical evaluation but to supplement it with a more objective measurement. Such a system could indeedhelp identify people at risk more quickly and to follow the evolution of symptoms over time, particularly in cases where they are accompanied by mild cognitive difficulties.

The work is still in its early stages and will require additional research before being applied in medical practices, in order to develop reliable analysis models and test them on a larger number of participants. It is also planned toassociate magnetic resonance imaging and an electroencephalogram with the sensors to better understand which areas of the brain are involved when the motivation to act and relate to others disappears.

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