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A Gesture-Powered Software Platform of Neurologic Music Therapy Games and Puzzles: To Stimulate Neuroplasticity and Prolong Functional Independence in Individuals Diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease

Award Number: R43AG081111
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 02/01/2023
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2025

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A Gesture-Powered Software Platform of Neurologic Music Therapy Games and Puzzles: To Stimulate Neuroplasticity and Prolong Functional Independence in Individuals Diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease - Abstract The inclusion of music therapy into a total treatment modality can be used to improve the cognitive, physical, emotional, and social outcomes of patients diagnosed with neurological aging disorders, such as Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Moreover, the healing benefits of music therapy and music-based interventions may be optimized when the patient is actively engaged in the process of creating music (composing, singing, moving), as opposed to sole reliance on receptive or passive music listening. The process of creating music has been shown to enhance neuroplasticity, reduce pain, and promote mental wellness. AD, in particular, as a neurodegenerative disease characterized by adverse neuropathological changes that impair neural connectivity and the brain’s natural ability to repair itself, is a prime candidate for the therapeutic neurological benefits that arise from creating music. Unfortunately, however, those who stand to gain the most from creating music often find the challenging process of relearning, learning, and/or manipulating a musical instrument to be impractical. Outlier Technology (Outlier) seeks to address this issue by developing a novel, Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT)-based software platform to help modernize the rehabilitation and habilitation of function & well-being among people suffering from AD. This next-generation approach to NMT will offer the medical community an innovative new way to enhance neuroplasticity and mitigate cognitive decline. The hallmark of this platform is a proprietary algorithm which utilizes computer vision as an input modality to translate body movements into an interactive, aesthetically pleasing musical experience integrated with a data-driven curriculum of NMT-based puzzles and games designed in collaboration with Board-Certified Music Therapists (MT-BCs) to target therapeutic objectives. This platform can be utilized by therapists to augment their traditional treatment regimens or by patients who do not have regular access to therapy resources but seek the potential benefits of such use. This proposal describes the development of a gesture-powered “smart instrument” that combines an interactive, adaptive, and therapeutic music creation experience with structured data analytics. Musical data from studio musicians will be sampled, analyzed, and mapped onto an aesthetically refined decision matrix that produces pleasing, software-generated music that may be customized to the user’s personal tastes. Computer vision will be used to map physical movements onto sensible musical outcomes to develop a “smart instrument” with intuitive, motion-powered haptic feedback. A curriculum of NMT-based games and puzzles that utilize this instrument will be developed with neuroscientists and MT-BCs to stimulate neuroplasticity and prolong functional independence. We will also integrate a data portal which allows the practitioner to record real-time patient events and notes about session progress, and access organized displays of data from each session which identify musical characteristics with strong associations to positive patient outcomes. The proposed development will yield a prototype demonstrating proof-of-concept for a groundbreaking new approach to AD rehabilitation.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2025	2023	OUTLIER TECHNOLOGY, LLC	10827 NW 15TH PL	GAINESVILLE	FL	32606	ALACHUA	USA	Aging Research	000	1	6/10/2025	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $55,000 )
2024	2024	OUTLIER TECHNOLOGY, LLC	10827 NW 15TH PL	GAINESVILLE	FL	32606	ALACHUA	USA	Aging Research	001	1	2/19/2024	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$55,000
2024	2023	OUTLIER TECHNOLOGY, LLC	10827 NW 15TH PL	GAINESVILLE	FL	32606	ALACHUA	USA	Aging Research	000	1	12/12/2023	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $55,000

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $754,504 )
2023	2023	OUTLIER TECHNOLOGY, LLC	10827 NW 15TH PL	GAINESVILLE	FL	32606	ALACHUA	USA	Aging Research	000	1	1/25/2023	NEW	$504,505
2023	2023	OUTLIER TECHNOLOGY, LLC	10827 NW 15TH PL	GAINESVILLE	FL	32606	ALACHUA	USA	Aging Research	001	1	9/22/2023	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$249,999
														Subtotal = $754,504

Grand Total All Awards = $809,504

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A Gesture-Powered Software Platform of Neurologic Music Therapy Games and Puzzles: To Stimulate Neuroplasticity and Prolong Functional Independence in Individuals Diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease

Award Number: R43AG081111

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 02/01/2023

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2025

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