A Shape-Based Functional Index for Objective Assessment of Pediatric Motor Function
Journal:
arXiv
Published Date:
Jan 2, 2025
Abstract
Clinical assessments for neuromuscular disorders, such as Spinal Muscular
Atrophy (SMA) and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), continue to rely on
subjective measures to monitor treatment response and disease progression. We
introduce a novel method using wearable sensors to objectively assess motor
function during daily activities in 19 patients with DMD, 9 with SMA, and 13
age-matched controls. Pediatric movement data is complex due to confounding
factors such as limb length variations in growing children and variability in
movement speed. Our approach uses Shape-based Principal Component Analysis to
align movement trajectories and identify distinct kinematic patterns, including
variations in motion speed and asymmetry. Both DMD and SMA cohorts have
individuals with motor function on par with healthy controls. Notably, patients
with SMA showed greater activation of the motion asymmetry pattern. We further
combined projections on these principal components with partial least squares
(PLS) to identify a covariation mode with a canonical correlation of r = 0.78
(95% CI: [0.34, 0.94]) with muscle fat infiltration, the Brooke score (a motor
function score), and age-related degenerative changes, proposing a novel motor
function index. This data-driven method can be deployed in home settings,
enabling better longitudinal tracking of treatment efficacy for children with
neuromuscular disorders.
