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Software System Boosts Emotional Function in Patients With Dementia
A digital therapeutic software system that allows caregivers to upload pictures and narration to create personalized slideshows had an immediate and positive effect on emotional functioning in patients with dementia after they viewed their slideshow stories.
“The results of this proof-of-concept study are very promising and have the potential to help herald a new way to deliver a form of relief to patients suffering with dementia and related anxiety or depression,” said researcher J. Vincent Filoteo, PhD, professor of psychiatry and neuropsychology section chief, University of California San Diego School of Medicine.
“Our results indicate that the use of this software led to an immediate and significant decrease in anxiety and depression in our patients, which was also observed by their caregivers. These significant results, which were larger in magnitude than expected, form the basis to further investigate the neuropsychiatric mechanisms that underlie improved mood through the use of this software technology.”
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Dthera Sciences’ ReminX software is based on reminiscence therapy, a cognitive behavioral therapy primarily used to reduce anxiety and improve quality of life in patients with dementia or older adults experiencing isolation. A key limitation of reminiscence therapy is that it can be labor- and time-intensive, typically requiring a family member or caregiver to manually go through pictures and stories with a patient.
ReminX allows for immediate implementation of some of the main features of reminiscence therapy. The software allows families to record stories so patients can have access to them whenever they desire.
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In the proof-of-concept trial, patients with dementia reported significantly less anxiety, depression, and overall emotional distress after viewing a slideshow. Caregivers, too, reported that patients appeared less emotionally distressed.
“Digital therapeutics—the use of software to create a medical effect in patients—is an exciting new frontier for medicine,” said Edward Cox, CEO of Dthera Sciences, San Diego, California. “This study supports that ReminX be used to scale out otherwise labor-intensive medical practices.”
—Jolynn Tumolo
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