Unmet Need
Two major obstacles limit the ability to assess the motor and cognitive status of patients with neurological disorders:
1. Small and Unrepresentative Samples: Studies typically include small, homogeneous samples—often 50 participants or fewer from a single geographic region.
2. Time Requirements: Conducting even a single study requires substantial time; completing a full series of studies usually takes two to three years.

Access to patients is a central challenge for researchers due to:
1. Recruitment Difficulties: It is particularly challenging to recruit patients with motor impairments, such as those with Parkinson’s disease.
2. Limited Participation: Even when patients are willing to participate, it is difficult to schedule and retain them for a single session, let alone for multiple sessions required for in-depth evaluation.

> Patients may have limited time and energy due to their medical condition.
> Many are unable or unwilling to commute to testing sites, particularly those living in peripheral areas.
> Current assessment procedures are often not user-friendly, preventing patients from completing a full battery of tasks.

Solution
To overcome these barriers and enable more effective research on motor and cognitive functioning in neurological populations, we propose leveraging online methods to develop a dedicated remote neuropsychological testing platform.
> In recent years, behavioral researchers across fields have increasingly used online tools to reach large and diverse populations that were previously inaccessible through traditional laboratory methods.
> Many areas of psychology now rely on crowdsourcing platforms to obtain reliable behavioral data quickly.
> However, these platforms are not designed specifically for neuropsychological research and lack features needed for clinical populations.

Method: iPONT
We are developing iPONT to directly address the challenges researchers and clinicians face in patient recruitment and participation. iPONT is modeled after the successful academic program PONT, which we have already implemented across more than 40 U.S. states and 80+ distinct geographical regions in Israel.

Our existing work demonstrates that online neuropsychological testing is feasible, efficient, and valid. Over the past five years, we have conducted 30 online experiments with nearly 5,000 participants—an unusually large sample for this field. Using this online approach, we have substantially increased sample size, participant diversity, and the number of studies conducted across a wide range of human abilities.

Benefits of the Platform
1. Accelerate the pace of neuropsychological research worldwide
2. Increase the amount of data collected from each individual patient
3. Enable faster collection of critical information about a patient’s neurological status
4. Support comprehensive understanding of brain–behavior relationships
5. Improve diagnosis and personalize interventions by tracking disorder progression more effectively

The Team
The project is led by Dr. William (Will) Saban, a senior lecturer in the Stanley Steyer School of Health Professions, the Faculty of Medicine, and the Sagol School of Neuroscience at Tel Aviv University. Dr. Saban earned his Ph.D. in neuropsychology in Israel and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at UC Berkeley. He collaborates with researchers in Israel, Canada, England, and the United States to build a large-scale, multinational patient research program. These collaborations enhance recruitment, broaden representation, and promote cultural and clinical diversity.

References
1. Gilad …Saban., 2025, npj Digital Medicine
2. Algon…Saban., 2025, Journal of Neurology
3. Picciotto…Saban, 2024, The Clinical Neuropsychologist.