SCIENCE

Globally Recognized by Governing Bodies: FDA 510k Clearance in the US, CE Marking in the European Union, and Medical Device status in Canada and Oceania

Medical advisory board

As a critical first step in the realization of EQ, the founders began to engage academic leaders in the neurosciences and clinical medicine. These thought leaders represented a range of clinical expertise as well as a global representation with major University affiliations in the United States, Canada, European Union, and Australia. Our Medical Advisors are active clinicians, researchers and speakers, each with an internationally established credibility

Dr. Christopher C. Giza

MD Professor, Departments of Pediatrics and Neurosurgery, UCLA

Dr. Grant L. Iverson

Professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School

Dr Karen Barlow

Chair in Paediatric Rehabilitation, University of Queensland Child Health Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine

Dr. Frederick Carrick

Professor of Clinical Neurology, Senior Research Fellow CMHR-CU in association with the University of Cambridge Founder, Carrick Institute

Dr. Noah Silverberg

Clinical Associate Professor of Physical Medical and Rehabilitation at the University of British Columbia

Dr. Mihaly Kis

Trillium Health Partners

METHODOLOGY

EQ initially evolved as a series of concepts in the minds of the founders in response to what they saw as challenges within the current status quo of functional neurologic assessment.

During the last decade, the scientific understanding of human brain function shifted dramatically from a perceived static functioning organ to one that was, in fact, dynamic and capable of daily change. However, the assessment of brain function remained ‘dated’. The assessment of neurologic function continued to focus on “snapshot” assessments. This lack of development in assessment failed to match the rapid evolution in the understanding of function.

EQ sought to address this gap and to do so capitalizing on another evolving trend; the prevalence of mobile medical technology and game culture. EQ was developed as a means of measuring neurological function in a manner that is clinically relevant, scientifically accurate and technologically contemporary. The data that EQ captures and presents provides a clinical perspective of the user that is a ‘movie’; a movie of the function of the mercurial organ that is the human brain.

The founders identified challenge and opportunity, and it is this opportunity that is the heart of true innovation.

Balance

The EQ Balance test evaluates the vestibular (inner ear) and proprioceptive (ankle, knee, hip) system and the circuits connecting these areas. The balance system is affected in a variety of medical conditions and is of critical concern in sport, work, and of course aging.

EQ utilizes the internal accelerometer in mobile devices (phone/tablet) to measure the subject’s movement of the center of mass (COM) while performing stances in three different positions with the eyes closed.

Visual

Functional visual assessment evaluates large aspects of the geography of the brain with some aspects located in the frontal, parietal and brainstem movement centers. These systems represent 50% of the brain’s pathways and are frequently affected by a variety of conditions that are of critical concern in traumatic brain injury, sport performance and visually demanding occupations. In addition, since the visual system is present in so much of the brain’s geography, it is sensitive to deteriorations in overall processing speed as is seen in many age-related neurologic conditions.

The EQ visual test, utilizing a phone/tablet, is a timed, rapid tactile indication of arrow direction designed to capture eye movements in saccades as well as vergence and other aspects of vision and visual information processing.

Cognitive

EQ evaluates elements of executive function, letter and number recognition, mental flexibility, and reaction time utilizing variations of established clinical assessments.

EQ cognitive testing provides scoring in each of the above cognitive metrics utilizing just the mobile device.

EQ DASHBOARD

The EQ Dashboard is a key component and represents an important merger of:

The desire of our clinical and scientific advisors to accurately and objectively illustrate patient neurologic function
The desire of the EQ team to ensure that our representation of individual neurological function is intuitive and readily understood across a broad representation of expertise
The need for administrators to probe, in detail, the comprehensive data and trends that the testing has established
The practical ability to manage groups of individuals, quickly, thoroughly, and securely

RESEARCH

Concussion Management

Research completed (U of T) on EQ tests in Healthy population
Research completed (U of T) on EQ balance in Healthy and Concussion populations
Research Completed with EQ at University of Calgary in Healthy and Concussion populations
Research underway at University of Calgary focused on the EQ Algorithm predictive diagnostics and ‘Return to Play’
Research underway at University of Calgary focused on the EQ Algorithm predictive diagnostics and ‘Return to Play’ power of EQ in large cohort of high-level hockey athletes followed prospectively\Research in process with the University of Waterloo on Machine Learning algorithms and Predictive Analytics
Research planning underway with University of Queensland (Aus.) studying EQ as both diagnostic and Therapeutic in concussion population

Workplace Safety

Research relationship established with one of Canada’s largest academic hospitals at the University of Toronto to evaluate the efficacy of EQ assessing impairment with cannabinoids and the impact on performance in driving, as well as in industrial applications utilizing Virtual Reality

Mental Health

Pilot study discussion underway with one of one of Canada’s largest academic hospitals at the University of Toronto to evaluate the efficacy of EQ in remote management of PTSD and Mood Disorder patients from a therapeutic perspective as well as from the perspective of identifying progressive deterioration in cognitive function

Cannabis

Research relationship established with one of Canada’s largest academic hospitals at the University of Toronto to evaluate the efficacy of EQ assessing functional impairment after medicinal cannabinoids in elders and efficacy of EQ facilitating safe dose titration of cannabinoids

Elder Care

Research relationship established with one of Canada’s largest academic hospitals at the University of Toronto to evaluate the diagnostic and therapeutic efficacy of EQ in Elder care