Who said engineering and neuroscience aren’t good bedfellows?

Two University of South Florida professors are proof that disparate disciplines can work together for a common cause – gaining a better understanding of a common health emergency.

Ashwin Parthasarathy, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, and Maxim Mokin, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, are collaborating on a device that could help prevent strokes in patients during surgery.

(L-r) Dr. Ashwin Parthasarathy, PhD, and Dr. Maxim Mokin, MD, PhD, at Tampa General Hospital as Dr. Parthasarathy tests probes for electrical activity.

“We’re looking to see how new technologies can help drive patient care,’’ Dr. Parthasarathy said of their multi-disciplinary work. “As an engineer, I’m interested in the technology aspect and as a neurologist, Maxim is interested in the medical aspect. But I can address what his needs are and come up with solutions.’’

The engineering department is on the USF campus in northeast Tampa, while much of the work in neurology takes place downtown, at the USF Health South Tampa Center and Tampa General Hospital, USF Health’s primary teaching partner. Traditionally, most teamwork among scientists is done in closer proximity.

“It’s quite rare to be doing this because physically, we don’t even run into each other on campus,’’ Dr. Mokin said. “Engineers live and breathe in their silos and we clinicians don’t get exposed to what they do.’’

The faculty members recently were awarded a two-year, $400,000 research grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, a part of the National Institutes of Health. The money will help them collect more quantitative data from their new device, with the goal of improving treatment for patients. They also will purchase tools to refine the technology and make it fully automated, capture more data points, and hire a research coordinator.

“We’re working to make it more robust and easy to use,’’ Dr. Parthasarathy said.

Called a DCS − for diffuse correlation spectroscopy − the optical monitoring tool uses fiber optics to emit light and capture a returning signal. The light monitors blood flow to the brain during surgery and gives real-time information. Any abnormalities in how the light travels alerts doctors to a potential problem, such as a stroke or brain bleed. An explanation of their initial research findings has been published in the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery.

For years, neurologists have used MRIs, CAT scans and transcranial dopplers to take images of the brain, but these don’t always give surgeons the information they need at a precise moment. The new, non-invasive device – which has been tested on more than a dozen patients at TGH − uses small plastic caps attached to the head that send real-time data to a monitor in the operating room.

An image of the before (left) and after treatment delivered at Tampa General Hospital.

“The others are good tools but they’re bulky and only give you a snapshot,’’ Dr. Mokin said. “This is a small portable device that studies brain functions in an acute setting, and it gives a continuous recording.’’

The faculty members believe their invention could be a breakthrough in a critical aspect of health care. Each year, nearly 800,000 people in the United States suffer a stroke – one every 40 seconds, according to the American Heart Association. The majority of these incidents are ischemic, meaning blood flow to the brain is reduced or blocked.

“This device is giving us more data to better understand brain signals that might indicate a stroke,’’ Dr. Mokin said. “We need to know more about what is noise, what is normal function, what are the thresholds, and what changes indicate that something bad is about to happen.’’

The more information gathered in the operating room the better, the doctors say, as it will lead to efficiencies on the engineering bench.

“It’s an exciting way to do science,’’ Dr. Parthasarathy said. “I’m able to get instantaneous feedback on how my device is working, so it’s not just me toiling alone in the lab.

“Our hope is to show how this technology has great clinical value, maybe by predicting if a patient is getting better or worse. That’s the end game − predictive value in our measurements.’’

– Story by Kurt Loft for USF Health News; photos by Allison Long, USF Health Communications 

USF College of Nursing professor, John Clochesy, PhD, collaborates with engineers on virtual technology to help patients manage their own health.

Dr. Clochesy teamed up with researchers and engineers at University of Central Florida and Case Western University to design an interactive video game technology to help improve patient care.

John Clochesy, PhD, professor and senior assistant dean of the PhD program at the USF College of Nursing.

“The virtual support technology helps patients and caregivers become members of the team that manages their own health,” said Dr. Clochesy, who is also the senior assistant dean of the PhD program at the USF College of Nursing. “Interactions with health care providers are sometimes difficult, but if we give people a chance to practice in the virtual world without putting themselves at risk, maybe they would do better. The technology allows people to experience, learn from that experience and take whatever they learn into the clinical setting.”

Dr. Clochesy and his team created several virtual support technologies. The most recent versions are being evaluated in two different randomized controlled trials.

For the first study, Dr. Clochesy teamed up with Vicki Loerzel PhD, associate professor at UCF, to create a virtual game to help older adults manage their cancer symptoms. The study helps cancer patients better manage chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. This trial, which studies 66 participants, will be completed in 2018.

This version of the virtual game helps older adults manage their cancer symptoms.

For the second study, Dr. Clochesy partnered with Ronald L. Hickman, Jr., PhD, associate professor at the Case Western Reserve University, to help educate caregivers of chronically critically ill patients. This trial aims to help caregivers make informed decisions about critically ill patients at the end of life. This study is planned to be completed in 2020.

This version of the game aims to educate caregivers of the chronically critically ill patients.

The virtual support is developed using an avatar-based decision support technology fit for various digital platforms and devices. The risk-free technology helps improve self-management of chronic illness and health outcomes.

“Patients can learn in a virtual reality focusing on real-life events,” Dr. Clochesy said. “The game goes through different situations in various locations and settings where patients and caregivers can learn and practice at the same time. For example, after cancer patients go through chemotherapy, they are presented scenarios where patient-like avatars go into a drug store to get their medication or interact with pharmacists. The game also presents questions on the screen and asks the patients if they’re thirsty or if they need to take their medication – allowing the patient to not only watch but also interact.”

The two studies are funded by grants from National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), a part of the National Institutes of Health. The researchers have also previously received funding from American Nurses’ Foundation, a program created by Sigma Theta Tau International.

The virtual support technology is not new. Dr. Clochesy and his team of interdisciplinary researchers initially developed the technology in 2009. Their previous studies were focused on an electronic self-management resource training platform called eSMART to help teach people how to better communicate with their health care providers.

The various adaptations of eSMART have shown significant improvements for people suffering with depression and high blood pressure. Since these studies began, Dr. Clochesy and his team have published more than 10 studies in major publications nationwide.

Dr. Clochesy hopes the new version of the virtual game shows similar improvements on cancer patents and decision makers for critically ill patients.

“Chronic illness is costing a fortune in this country,” Clochesy said. “The majority of the care is done by patients and families themselves. But, if they don’t do it well, they end up in the hospital — spending a lot of money. So, if we can teach people to better take care of themselves, we can have better health outcomes and we can also control health care costs.”

The technology appears promising. So, Dr. Clochesy hopes to eventually take the virtual support game to health facilities or home health agencies to help improve patients’ quality of life and help reduce health care costs.

Story and photos by Vjollca Hysenlika, USF Health Communications.