Unobtrusive Monitoring of Affective Symptoms and Cognition Using Keyboard Dynamics (UnMASCK) (UnMASCK)

May 12, 2026 updated by: Olusola Alade Ajilore, University of Illinois at Chicago

Unobtrusive Monitoring of Affective Symptoms and Cognition Using Keyboard Dynamics

Mood disorders are associated with significant financial and health costs for the United States, partially due to cognitive problems in these patients that can worsen disease course and impair treatment response. This study proposes to use smartphone-based technology to monitor cognitive problems in patients with mood disorders by linking brain network changes with predicted worsening of mood symptoms. The proposed study will provide evidence for using smartphone-based passive sensing as a cost-effective way to predict illness course and treatment response.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
132

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: Olusola Ajilore, MD, PhD
  • Phone Number: (312) 413-4562
  • Email: oajilore@uic.edu

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Illinois
      • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60612
        • University of Illinois at Chicago

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

21 years to 46 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The investigators will recruit 132 participants (100 with mood disorders, and 32 controls) from the Chicago area, psychiatry clinics at the UIC, and longitudinal studies of Dr. Langenecker (MH091811 and MH 101487). All subjects will be recruited using community outreach efforts, not limited to but including listserv emails, flyers, word of mouth, and health fairs.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 25-50 years, as age-related declines in brain connectivity occur starting around 40-45 years of age (49-51);
  • Participants must meet criteria for one of the following disorders according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 criteria (52): major depressive disorder (MDD), persistent depressive disorder (PDD), bipolar disorder (BD) type I/type II, cyclothymia. To ensure adequate representation across diagnostic categories (including controls), the investigators will cap enrollment of major mood disorders (MDD, BD type I/II) to 50%, PDD and cyclothymia to 25% and recruit a healthy comparison group to comprise the remaining 25% of the sample.
  • Own a BiAffect-compatible smartphone.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Active suicidal ideation as determined by the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)(50), suicide attempt in the last 3 months
  • Severe cognitive impairment secondary to a neurological disorder (mild cognitive impairment, neurocognitive disorders, traumatic brain injury, developmental delay)
  • Active moderate or severe alcohol and/or substance use disorders;
  • Major medical or neurologic illness that would interfere with protocol adherence and/or interpretation of findings; and
  • Presence of contraindications to MRI.
  • Pregnancy (positive pregnancy test), trying to become pregnant, or lactation.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: Cohort
  • Time Perspectives: Prospective

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Mood disorder group
Participants must meet criteria for one of the following disorders according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 criteria (52): major depressive disorder (MDD), persistent depressive disorder (PDD), bipolar disorder (BD) type I/type II, cyclothymia. Multiple mood disorders are employed, in line with the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC; (53)) framework and the relative imprecision of current symptom diagnostic clusters for tracking treatment responses and course of disease. To ensure adequate representation across diagnostic categories (including controls), the investigators will cap enrollment of major mood disorders (MDD, BD type I/II) to 50%, PDD and cyclothymia to 25% and recruit a healthy comparison group to comprise the remaining 25% of the sample.
Control group
Participants who do not meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 criteria for (52): major depressive disorder (MDD), persistent depressive disorder (PDD), bipolar disorder (BD) type I/type II, or cyclothymia.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Neuroimaging
Time Frame: Change from week 2 to week 4.
a. Neuroimaging based biomarkers of cognitive performance will include Structural brain network Efficiency Interhemispheric Efficiency, Reduced nodal efficiency in ventrolateral prefrontal cortex/altered modularity, Reduced nodal efficiency in anterior cingulate cortex, and Reduced nodal efficiency in salience networks. Neuroimaging will take place while the participant completes the parametric Go/No-go test completed during a functional magnetic resonance imaging after using BiAffect app for 2 weeks, and again after using the BiAffect app for 4 weeks.
Change from week 2 to week 4.
BiAffect Metric
Time Frame: Measured at the end of week 4 after using the BiAffect app for 4 weeks
  1. BiAffect Metric component 1, Typing speed: Data collected through the keyboard provided by the BiAffect app to measure the Average Interkey Delay (The average time between keystrokes measured in seconds) and keys per second will be combined to report typing speed.
  2. BiAffect Metric component 2, Backspace Ratio: Data collected through the keyboard provided by the BiAffect app to measure the number of backspace keypresses divided by total keypresses.
  3. BiAffect Metric component 3, Autocorrect Rate: Data collected through the keyboard provided by the BiAffect app to measure the number of autocorrect events divided by total keypresses. These 3 components will be combined to report the BiAffect Metric.
Measured at the end of week 4 after using the BiAffect app for 4 weeks
Clinical symptoms
Time Frame: Measured at baseline.
  1. Severity of depressive symptoms: In person administration of the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (IDS-C/QIDS-C). Possible scores range from 0-111 where higher scores indicate more severe depression symptoms.
  2. Symptoms of mania: In person administration of the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) which has a total score range from 0 to 60; higher scores indicate a more severe mania.
  3. Symptoms of depression: In person administration of the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D). Scores range between 0-52, and the higher the score the more depressive symptoms a participant has. These questionnaires will be combined to produce the clinical symptoms measure.
Measured at baseline.
Cognition
Time Frame: Change from week 2 to week 4
  1. Attention/ processing speed will be measured in person using the Flanker Inhibitory Control and Attention Test (scores range 0-5, and higher scores mean better attention), the Pattern Comparison Processing Speed Test (scores range 0-130, and higher scores mean faster processing speed), and the Trail Making Task part A (scores range 0-300 seconds, and lower scores mean faster processing speed).
  2. Cognitive control will be measured in person using the Dimensional Change Card Sort Test (scores range 0-10, and higher scores mean better cognitive control), the Flanker Inhibitory Control and Attention Test, and the Trail Making Task part B (scores range 0-300 seconds, and lower scores mean higher cognitive control).
  3. Working memory will be measured in person using the List Sorting Working Memory Test (scores range 0-28, and higher scores mean better working memory). Attention, cognitive control, and working memory scores will be combined to produce the cognitive outcome variable.
Change from week 2 to week 4

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Illinois at Chicago

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Olusola Ajilore, MD, PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 17, 2020

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
March 31, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 8, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 20, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 24, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 15, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 12, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2019-1333
  • 1R01MH120168-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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