# The BRAIN App: Building Relationships using Artificial Intelligence and Nostalgia

> **NIH NIH R44** · HOPEFUL AGING LLC · 2024 · $878,369

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
 There are currently 6.7 million Americans living with dementia and, without significant breakthroughs, this figure will
double to 12.7 million by 2050 (Rajan et al., 2021). There are about 46,000 long-term care (LTC) facilities in the U.S.
(Harris-Kojetin et al, 2016). More than half of LTC residents have some form of dementia (Alzheimer’s Association, 2018).
Responsive behaviors and dysfunction of the dementia care triad—i.e., the PLWD, professional Care Partner (CP), and
Family Member (FM)—are inexorably linked. The emergence of responsive behaviors can lead to disruption of the triad’s
function. Thus, it is imperative to maintain positive relationships and a high quality of life (QoL) within the triad to reduce
BPSD. Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) has demonstrated improvements in QoL and relationships for PLWD. CST is
a psychosocial intervention that promotes communication and engagement in PLWD via a structured program of meaningful
and enjoyable themes (Woods, et al, 2012). While clinical trials have shown improvement in cognition and QoL, the
potential large-scale impact of CST has been hampered by low adherence, with less than 40% completing trials (Rai, et al,
2018). One likely reason for the low adherence to CST is the reliance on generic and non-digital tools (e.g., paper-based
agendas, tools, DVDs, and board games) in facilitating the intervention. That is, even though CST aims to be personalized,
the specific interventions used in the field tend to be generic and not tailored to each PLWD’s specific interests. The use of
digital technology to implement CST would offer considerable advantages to expand and personalize the range of
stimulation content and provide a means for monitoring responses, optimizing protocols, and promoting adherence.
 The proposed Phase II study will involve the continued development and evaluation of a multi-faceted software platform
called “Building Relationships using Artificial Intelligence and Nostalgia” or BRAIN. The BRAIN Platform will be the
first-ever Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered CST digital therapy platform for PLWD. The platform, which has been shown
to be effective in an initial Phase I clinical trial, has three main goals: to improve the quality of life of PLWD, to reduce
BPSD in PLWD, and to foster positive relationships between members of the care triad. The proposed Phase II project has
the following Specific Aims: 1. Create an improved Beta version of the BRAIN Platform’s eight components: (1) the Admin
Management Dashboard, (2) the Annotation Dashboard, (3) the Log Viewer, (4) the Content Management System (CMS),
(5) the Private CMS, (6) the Control App, (7) the Home App, and (8) the Training Dashboard. 2. Fine-tune the different
classes of AI algorithms—i.e., behavioral analytics, personalized content recommendation, and personalized program
generation—in the BRAIN app such that they can (a) recognize and track 12 distinct behaviors and indicators of P...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10814637
- **Project number:** 2R44AG071105-03
- **Recipient organization:** HOPEFUL AGING LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** Michael John Skrajner
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $878,369
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2021-08-15 → 2025-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10814637

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10814637, The BRAIN App: Building Relationships using Artificial Intelligence and Nostalgia (2R44AG071105-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10814637. Licensed CC0.

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