# SCH: Acoustic Sensing-Based Wearable system for Monitoring Social Dysfunction in Schizophrenia

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST · 2020 · $290,135

## Abstract

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. It is
associated with subtle abnormalities in day-to-day social behaviors and one of the leading causes of
disability in the United States. Unfortunately, little is known about the abnormalities in real-world social
functioning in individuals with schizophrenia, how their abnormalities correlate with clinical symptoms and
progress over time as a consequence of therapeutic interventions. The real-world assessment of personal
space - the physical distance that one maintains from others during social interactions - can be used to
develop and efficiently evaluate potential treatments for schizophrenia and help improve patients' day-to-
day functioning. The goal of this study is to objectively quantify the amount of real-world social interactions
and the physical distance maintained from others in individuals with schizophrenia. Specific research aims
include: 1) Design and implement a neck-worn device that employs acoustic signals to detect human
targets that the patient interacts with. 2) Design a method to simultaneously measure the distance between
the patient and multiple targets at an accuracy level of 2 cm with ultrasound. 3) Explore the unique markers
of social functioning in healthy individuals and patients with schizophrenia by integrating the personal
space information and other multi-dimensional contextual and behavioral information, and 4) Develop an
algorithm that extracts relevant features from the obtained data that can be used to assess the level of
social motivation and the severity of symptoms in schizophrenia patients. We believe that progress towards
moving schizophrenia treatment to a scientific process rooted in objective measurement and performance
in the real-world would contribute to a major paradigm shift in the field. More specifically, the outcomes of
the proposed research - if successful - will transform the understanding and treatment of schizophrenia,
opening a new door leading to previously unexplored datasets and potentially new development of
personalized disease management, which well-aligns with the mission of the National Institute of Mental
Health.
RELEVANCE (See Instructions):
The real-world assessment of personal space can be used to develop and evaluate potential treatments for
schizophrenia and help improve patients' day-to-day functioning. The goal of this study is to objectively quantify
the amount of real-world social interactions and the physical distance maintained from others in individuals with
schizophrenia. The proposed study will open a new door leading to previously unexplored datasets and new
development of personalized disease management in schizophrenia.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10022334
- **Project number:** 5R01MH122371-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST
- **Principal Investigator:** JIE XIONG
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $290,135
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-23 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10022334

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10022334, SCH: Acoustic Sensing-Based Wearable system for Monitoring Social Dysfunction in Schizophrenia (5R01MH122371-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10022334. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*