Discerning Blink Reflexes in Multiple Sclerosis through explainable artificial intelligence systems

Project objectives

The main goal of this project is to describe the functioning of the Hand Blink Reflex (HBR) in people with multiple sclerosis, so that it can be used as a biomarker of the disease.

The main goal of this project is to describe the functioning of the Hand Blink Reflex (HBR) in people with multiple sclerosis, so that it can be used as a biomarker of the disease. To achieve this goal we will proceed through three sub-goals:

• Description of the physiological functioning in healthy patients, and therefore description of the specific alterations of HBR in a sample of MS patients, in order to provide clinical guidelines to recognize altered responses to HBR as for other reflexes (e.g. TBR). This objective will be achieved also thanks to interpretable artificial intelligence techniques, which will allow to identify the most relevant and informative characteristics of the reflex.
• The second sub-goal is to build simulators (virtual patients) capable of mimicking the behavior of each individual patient, to identify which cortico-subcortical circuits modulate HBR and TBR, and how the responses vary by simulating alterations in this circuit.

Finally, through the follow-up on the same sample we will be able to verify whether there have been relapses or worsening of the pathology, to identify a posteriori whether and which alterations of HBR and TBR could be indicators of relapse to be monitored.

Start and end date

Project Manager

Coordinating institution of the project

Other Institutions involved

• University of Genoa
• CNR-Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies (CNR- The Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies (CNR-ISTC)

Funding source(s).

FISM Call 2022: Today's Research, Tomorrow's Care

Economic value of the project

280.000 of euros