Statement of Purpose - UMN PhD

1. Introduction & Goals. My interest in neuroscience started with my grandmother’s experience with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and eventually passing in 2018. Witnessing her physical and cognitive decline ignited many questions about the nature of the brain, cognition, and our human experience. In seeking answers related to this phenomenon I have been on a journey that has taken my research around the world with the Alzheimer’s Association presenting abstracts and posters in Amsterdam, Netherlands 2023 and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 2024 at their International Conferences and elsewhere.

My academic background and self-directed master’s research have prepared me doctoral studies. For the past few years, I have been researching and engineering a noninvasive and contactless sensing solution using ultra high frequency radar sensors (UHFRS) to monitor the movement of individuals with AD. The device works like a smoke detector constantly running in the background collecting data. The overarching hypothesis is human movement patterns and cognitive health are closely correlated. This means if we can quantify the changes in movement and activity trends of an individual a new understanding of the progression of AD could emerge. This discovery that would allow long-term care organizations to use evidence to assess the rate of an individual’s progression of AD. Other applications include clinical decision support for an individual’s transition from cognitively intact (CI) to mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The efforts of this research are in the becoming University of Minnesota intellectual property at the Bakken Medical Devices Center with Dr. Hubert Lim.

1a. Why Neuroscience is Imperative. I believe neuroscience will be at the forefront of medicine and technology for the next few decades until we transcend the body into spiritual realms. The fundamentals of what I have been researching could be applied to neuromodulation, brain-computer interfaces, and neurological medical devices. The very nature of what it is to be human may be in question when the fundamental aspects of humanness are augmented. Identity, memory, and creativity may be reengineered with new innovations.

Complex question about bioethics will be at the root of all discovery in neuroscience. Minnesota has an important voice in how these systems will be designed and deployed into the world. I believe I could be part of a contributing team of scientists that make inventions as impactful as Earl E. Bakken and the pacemaker.

1b. Immediate educational and long-range career objectives in relation to Neuroscience. My undergraduate degree, BS, Health Management, and MS, Medical Device Innovation, both from the University of Minnesota have prepared me with formal studies the Graduate Program in Neuroscience (GNP). I am seeking additional specialization in neuroscience to research novel neuromodulation methods, invasive and noninvasive monitoring methods like time domain functional near-infrared spectroscopy from companies like Kernel and explore theoretical applications for invasive methods by Neuralink for human vision, spine injury and more.

My Biodesign Practicum at UMN has been a formidable part of my development as a scientist and engineer. During this process I learned to identify unmet clinical needs, evaluate possible solutions, engineer prototypes, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and deliver impactful healthcare innovation. The work takes place in the Bakken Medical Devices Center and in real-world clinical environments. I have directed my efforts for clinical observations at Mayo Clinic and M Health Fairview Masonic Children's Hospital Neonatology (NICU) Care. At Mayo Clinic I observed in both the Neurology and Cardiology departments with Dr. Rafid Mustafa, MD and Dr. Nicholas Tan, MD, respectively. I am currently observing the NICU with Dr. Andrea Charara, MD in collaboration with the Pediatric Device Innovation Consortium (PDIC). Both experiences have been extraordinary opportunities to work on meaningful engineering challenges where my studies are ongoing.

2. Research. A significant amount of my self-directed research has been on understanding movement patterns of individuals and the engineering of these systems for real-world environments. My approach has centered around sensors typically used in autonomous driving and industrial applications and their translation into a patient monitoring device. One of the most important findings is a novel way to measure head height with time series analysis which allows for two types of insights. One, instantaneous changes that may be a sentinel event like a fall and two, longitudinal changes that may correlate to the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease. The prototype system collects over 1000 frames of data per minute, 1B per year. In comparison, the current standard for falls is eyewitness.

Example 1. Biomechanical testing of elderly falls to understand capabilities and limitations of UHFRS.

Background: In the field of aging care, falls, and activity of daily living present a critical challenge due to the lack of evidence-based decision making and data collection, the current standard is eyewitness or self-report. Addressing this issue is important because changes in care are typically made after a sentinel event or hospitalization. Research in this area could lead to advancements in continuous care and prevention.

Experimental Question: This experiment aims to determine the effectiveness of by testing UHFRS for contactless fall detection with several biomechanical types of falls, anterior/posterior, medial/lateral, and collapse and measuring the sensitivity of each. Understanding performance of the lab prototype could provide insights into its potential for use in clinical environments.

Methods: 6 health participants performed 1000 counts to simulate falls in the Dementia and Elderly Care Robotics and Sensing (DECRS) Lab at the University of Minnesota.

Results and Discussion: The study revealed that UHFRS correctly identified the following biomechanical falls and their sensitivity; anterior and posterior 91%, medial and lateral 92%, and collapse 75%. Additionally, because collapse performed at a lower sensitivity another algorithm was designed specifically for falls with low velocity to reduce long-lie events. These findings indicate the importance of medical and technical knowledge when designing algorithms and real-time systems.

Related Publications:

1) Brian Bradley Johnson, Dr. Kristine Snyder (2023). Biomechanical Classification of Elderly Falls and Improving Long Lie Collapse Events with Contactless Radio Frequency Sensors. AAIC Conference proceedings.

2) Brian Bradley Johnson, Radhakrishna Jamadagni, Dr. Britni Bolstad (2024). A Novel Approach to Identify Sundowning with Cyclomatic Complexity Movement Analysis and Noninvasive Ambient Sensors. Alzheimer's & Dementia Journal, Wiley. DOI: December 2024

3) Dr. Arshia Khan, Brian Bradley Johnson, Dr. Kristine Snyder (2023). Contactless Fall Detection with Radio Frequency Sensors for the Aging Population. Alzheimer's & Dementia Journal, Wiley. DOI: 10.1002/alz.078644

Example 2. Engineering noninvasive aging care systems for real-world environments with ultra-high frequency radar sensors

Background: In the area of real-time patient monitoring systems in aging care, engineering presents a critical challenge due to the lack of funding for research and development. Addressing this issue is important because Engineering and research efforts at the University of Minnesota for aging care have the potential to benefit the broader aging community.

Experimental Question: This experiment aims to determine the software and hardware requirements by testing electrical and computer components and measuring the effectiveness of the system as a whole. Understanding the limitations and benefits could provide insights into an infinitely scalable commercial system.

Methods: The study followed an experimental design, using components from Texas Instruments and Raspberry Pi. I developed a novel design for computation that uses two types of ARM cortex processors, A and M to ensure the form factor is small and affordable. The efficacy of the UHFRS and circuit board is currently being analyzed.

Results and Discussion: The study revealed that real-time patient monitoring systems with UHRFS are capable of being engineered for commercial applications. Additionally, the dataset produced by the device is as important, suggesting that the system as a whole should be analyzed holistically for intellectual property and regulatory considerations. These findings indicate groundbreaking potential to transform aging care.

Related Publications:

4) Brian Bradley Johnson (2024). Noninvasive Patient Monitoring with Ambient Sensors to Monitor Physical and Cognitive Health for Individuals Living with Alzheimer’s Disease. American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Design of Medical Devices Conference, University of Minnesota. DOI: 10.1115/DMD2024-1030

5) Dr. Britni Bolstad, Brian Bradley Johnson (2024). Integrating Noninvasive Radiofrequency Monitoring Technology Into Clinical Decision-Making. Alzheimer's & Dementia Journal, Wiley. DOI: December 2024

6) Brian Bradley Johnson, Ida Bagus Kresnasandi (2024). Establishing a Remote Patient Monitoring Infrastructure with Starlink in Indonesia for the Aging Population to Improve Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care. Alzheimer's & Dementia Journal, Wiley. DOI: December 2024

3. Graduate Program in Neuroscience. The University of Minnesota Graduate Program in Neuroscience is one of my top choices for doctoral studies for several reasons. I’ve had an exceptional experience overall in the Medical Device Innovation MS program and have served in the Student Senate as one of two graduate representatives for the College of Science Engineering. My future research interests include the use of noninvasive approaches to reach broad populations, electrophysiology and data collection techniques, and the quantification of interventions. Dr. Hubert Lim is one of my choices for faculty because he has been supportive with advice for the last few years, Dr. Tay Netoff because his work bridges neuroscience and biomedical engineering, Dr. Colum MacKinnon, Dr. Juergen Konczak for their work on the relationship between movement disorders and neurology. These interests will invariably change and evolve as I am exposed to current research. I will also continue my building my relationships at the Technological Leadership Institute where they may benefit from the innovation for medical devices at GPN.