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The FACIAL Study Pilot
Sponsor: Lancaster University
Summary
Facial recognition is a non-invasive method for analysing facial characteristics and changes in facial expressions. There is evidence to suggest there may be a link between physiological health and facial expression patterns. Many medical conditions are associated with specific facial characteristics, with some related to inherited genetic conditions and others that have been acquired as a result of medical conditions such as stroke, nerve injuries and dementia. If successful, this technology could prove useful for studies evaluating the monitoring of acute or chronic illness. The proposed study will ask participants to do a maximal exercise test that will challenge the body, as a proof-of-principle, to see how this correlates with facial expressions. Depending on the study outcomes and future work, it could prove to be a useful tool and clinical application in healthcare for evaluating and tracking patient health and well-being. The investigators want to conduct a proof-of-principle study where physically stressed young and healthy participants (in the form of a maximal exercise test), whilst recording facial expressions, will be used to determine the relationship between physiological stress and changes in facial parameters.
Official title: Facial Recognition in Acute Illness - The FACIAL Study
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - 35 Years
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
15
Start Date
2025-06-01
Completion Date
2025-12-31
Last Updated
2025-06-08
Healthy Volunteers
Yes
Conditions
Interventions
Maximal Exercise Test
Healthy participants will be situated on a cycle ergometer fitted with a 12-lead ECG or chest-strap heart rate monitor. Data from the questionnaire will be stored in a study site file in a locked cabinet in an office. Baseline readings will be obtained whilst on the bike for 3 minutes before the subject embarks on a 3-minute warm-up at 50 Watts (W). The workload (watts) on the bike is then increased to a workload that corresponds to a heart rate of 120 bpm (gentle exercise). The workload will then be increased by 25-50W every three minutes until volitional exhaustion. Between each stage, there will be a 30s rest period where the participant will be cycling with minimal resistance ("freewheeling") but will be otherwise stationary on the cycle ergometer. Still images of the face and facial video recordings will be taken during a 30s rest period between increases in exercise intensity. A finger-prick blood sample (glucose \& lactate) will be taken at the beginning and every 3 minutes.
Locations (1)
Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University
Lancaster, Lancashire, United Kingdom