A temporal classification method based on behavior time series data in patients with behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia and apathy

• Published in: Journal of neuroscience methods Vol. 376; p. 109625
• Main Authors: Peltier, Caroline, Lejeune, François-Xavier, Jorgensen, Lars G.T., Rametti-Lacroux, Armelle, Tanguy, Delphine, Godefroy, Valérie, Bendetowicz, David, Carle, Guilhem, Cognat, Emmanuel, Bombois, Stéphanie, Migliaccio, Raffaella, Levy, Richard, Marin, Frédéric, Batrancourt, Bénédicte
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.07.2022; Elsevier
• Subjects: Apathy; Behavioral kinetics; Behavioral study encoding time; Behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia; Cognitive science; ECOCAPTURE kinetics; Ethological approach; Frontotemporal Dementia; Human ethology; Humans; Key features of apathetic behaviors; Measuring behavior; Neuropsychological profiles; Neuropsychological Tests; Open-source software (OSS); R package; Subject's behavior; Temporal classification method; Testing session under ecological settings; Time Factors; Time series behavior; NN; Human ethology; SAS; Subject's behavior; DTW; FP; R package; Apathy; Behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia; Key features of apathetic behaviors; Ethological approach; Time series behavior; Behavioral kinetics; Testing session under ecological settings; Temporal classification method; TDS; TSC; GP; Measuring behavior; FTDC; SBMs; Open-source software (OSS); ECOCAPTURE kinetics; DAS; Neuropsychological profiles; Behavioral study encoding time
• ISSN: 0165-0270; 1872-678X; 1872-678X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2022.109625

Apathy is a common behavioral syndrome that occurs across neurological and psychiatric disorders. An influential theoretical framework defined apathy as the quantitative reduction of self-generated voluntary and purposeful behaviors. There is evidence in the literature of the multidimensional nature of apathy with cognitive, behavioral, and emotional dimensions. To date, apathy has been assessed using various scales and questionnaires. Alternative objective and ecological measurements of apathy are needed. We used the ECOCAPTURE protocol and an ethological approach to investigate behavior in bvFTD patients under ecological conditions (a waiting room) while they freely explored a novel environment. Data were collected by behavioral coding from 7-minute video using an ethogram and transformed into behavior time series data. We present an approach considering behavioral kinetics to assess behavior. We aimed to construct a new behavior analysis method, called ECOCAPTURE kinetics, using temporal classification for behavior time series data analysis. To develop our classifier, we retained a nonelastic Euclidian metric, combined with a convolutional approach. We applied the ECOCAPTURE kinetics method to a cohort of 20 bvFTD patients and 18 healthy controls. We showed that bvFTD patients can be classified according to their behavioral kinetics into three groups. Each subgroup was characterized by specific behavior disorders and neuropsychological profile. The ECOCAPTURE kinetics method is different from those of the classical approach of measuring behavior, producing time budgets, frequency of behavior occurrences, or kinematic diagrams. This approach can be extended to any behavioral study encoding time. [Display omitted] •Subject’s behavior is recorded during a testing session under ecological settings.•Data is obtained by behavioral coding from 7-minute video footage with an ethogram.•We propose a temporal classification method for time series behavior analysis.•BvFTD apathetic patients were stratified according to their behavioral kinetics.•The classification method can be extended to any behavioral study encoding time.