Stacee Hawkins credits a health-changing aha moment to a smartphone app. Linked to her smartwatch, StrivePD, from Rune Labs, automatically detects and records tremors and muscle spasms called dyskinesia in addition to tracking her diet, physical activity, sleep, medications, stress, and more.
“I see connections more quickly now,” says Hawkins, 56, a video producer from Houston, TX, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease four years ago. “I discovered that exercising helps my Parkinson’s medication kick in faster in the morning. Being active also reduces the severity of my tremors by about two-thirds—my muscles don’t tighten up and shake as much. So I make sure I exercise, even if it’s just a short walk in the morning.”
Hawkins isn’t alone. For people with a wide range of neurologic conditions—including migraines, chronic pain, epilepsy, stroke, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and dementia—smartphone apps and features can make it easier to take care of your health (or that of a loved one) and get the most from medications, lifestyle choices, and health care visits, according to Benjamin Kummer, MD.
“There are tons of apps out there for neurological conditions,” says Dr. Kummer, director of clinical informatics in neurology and an associate professor of neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. “If people are tech-savvy enough to use them and motivated to use them regularly, they can be very helpful.”
Lisa Wetchler, 39, who has had debilitating migraines since age 18, says using a migraine app called Headway: Migraine Monitor helps her see potential patterns for when her migraines occur and keep up with logging her symptoms. “Reviewing periods of increased headaches, I can sometimes identify a trigger, such as time of day, that I wouldn’t otherwise be aware of,” says Wetchler, who lives on Long Island, NY. The app simplifies tracking, which is especially helpful during severe headaches that can make her nauseated and interfere with her vision, speech, and even thinking. “Sometimes when a headache has been present for many hours, it can be hard to recall when it actually started, especially because it is so hard to think clearly,” she says.
One benefit: “I find myself being more aware of the migraine symptoms as part of the logging process, and that encourages me to take my abortive therapies earlier,” Wetchler says. “As many migraineurs know, the earlier you take your abortive therapy, the more likely it is to work.”
What Your Phone Can Do for You
Apps and built-in phone features can help you manage a neurologic condition in several important ways, neurologists and app users say. They include:
Preparing for and recording a doctor visit.
Jen Zupon, 50, a human resources information systems administrator from Gilbert, AZ, uses her phone’s note-taking app to jot down questions before appointments with the neurologist and movement disorders specialist she sees for her Parkinson’s disease. Then, Zupon brings a friend to take notes in the app during the appointment. Patients also can use audio recording apps to record their appointments but should ask for their doctor’s consent first; some states require permission to record, and some doctors might not be willing.
Tracking physical activity and more.
Don’t overlook the health app that comes preloaded with certain phones. It may be all you need. “I encourage people to use the basic, built-in activity monitor in most smartphones,” Dr. Kummer says. “Regular exercise ensures brain health in almost all neurological conditions, including cognitive decline and dementia.”
These general apps can do even more than track physical activity. Zupon links hers to a Bluetooth-enabled blood pressure monitor to log her numbers. “My blood pressure has been high for a long time, but Parkinson’s tends to lower blood pressure,” she says. “Tracking helps my doctor adjust my blood-pressure medications.”
Keeping records handy.
Zupon also stores her health records and a list of all her medications and supplements in her general health app. “That makes it easy when I’m filling out paperwork at a doctor’s office or want them to see what I’m taking,” she says. “It’s all in one place in my phone.”
Logging symptoms with condition-specific apps.
Available for people with epilepsy, migraine, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s, pain, and other conditions, plenty of consumer neuro-health apps let users log flare-ups, fatigue, anxiety, mood shifts, cognitive changes, and other symptoms as well as treatments, diet, exercise, sleep, and other triggers that could influence their condition. Many offer clickable lists that make tracking easy, have medication reminder alerts, can display trends over time so you can spot connections between medications and your lifestyle—and can produce data or concise summaries for when your neurologist asks about your recent symptoms. Some apps can send the data or summaries directly to your doctor, care team, or electronic health records if offices are set up for that.
Apps linked to wearables and interactive features.
Some emerging apps for neurologic conditions use a smartwatch or interactive tests to sense even mild symptoms, such as Parkinson’s tremors and excess medication-induced movement spasms (dyskinesia), epileptic seizures, and hand function and balance in people with MS. The info can help you spot problems sooner, Hawkins says, although the sensors aren’t infallible. Hawkins sees false-positive records for dyskinesia when she’s moving to the music at a concert or driving a golf cart, for example. Some sensors have suboptimal sensitivity and specificity characteristics, which can be misleading for patients with epilepsy who are trying to track their seizures.
Diagnosed with Parkinson’s two years ago, Zupon uses the same smartphone app/smartwatch system as Hawkins—StrivePD—to spot connections between triggers that exacerbate her key symptom: slowed-down movements called bradykinesia. “Stress is a factor for me,” says Zupon. “On days when I know I’ll experience more stress, I’ll plan to take more medication to control my symptoms.” (In some conditions, a neurologist may offer a patient latitude in adjusting medications based on symptoms, but this should be discussed with the prescriber, as extra doses of some drugs, such as many seizure medications, could cause toxicity.)
For Hawkins, smartwatch data also alerted her to times her medications wore off early, helping her doctor decide that a timed-release dose would be more beneficial. “The app helps me see what’s happening for me personally, and I can take the data to my doctor for help with managing it,” Hawkins says.
Education, at-home care, and rehabilitation.
Some apps can guide you through home-care programs, such as meditation for chronic pain and home rehabilitation after a stroke. “Cognitive training and speech therapy apps for stroke survivors can be very helpful for some people,” Dr. Kummer says. “But it’s not one-size-fits-all. Certain apps can serve as, for example, occupational or speech therapy treatments but may not address the specific needs of other patients. It’s a good idea to talk with your doctor or rehabilitation specialists to see what they recommend for you.”
Meanwhile, apps aimed at people with neurologic conditions can provide curated news and information about a condition, such as those designed for stroke, cerebral palsy, and MS. Zupon read about a new drug pump on a news app and noted it in her phone to discuss at an upcoming medical visit. (Patients should note, however, that direct-to-consumer advertising may support certain apps, which could lean more toward promotional than educational.)
Help for caregivers.
Apps also can help the family and caregivers of people with dementia understand and manage their loved one’s challenging moods and behaviors. And apps for parents and caregivers of children with cerebral palsy can help them detect early signs of hip displacement, a common effect of the condition. Still others offer support for caregivers of stroke survivors.
Staying aware.
Certain apps can provide valuable and current information about neurologic issues. FAST.AI, for instance, can recognize common stroke symptoms while they happen.
User Beware
But with thousands of apps and plenty of smartphone features to choose from, figuring out what will work for you can be challenging. In a review of studies of 20 consumer apps for epilepsy, published in Epilepsia in February 2025, Dr. Kummer and a team concluded that while the apps can be effective and user-friendly, more rigorous research is needed so patients and their doctors can make informed decisions.
When Mia T. Minen, MPH, MD, FAAN, a headache medicine specialist at NYU Langone Health in New York City, and a team assessed 201 apps for headache, insomnia, and pain for a study published in the journal JMIR mHealth and uHealth in June 2022, they found “room for improvement” in data privacy protections and accessibility. This included whether apps could work on different operating systems and be used without an internet connection.
“Apps can definitely help patients notice patterns, which can help them to ease their symptoms. And they can share this information with their neurologist,” Dr. Minen says. “But it’s important to realize that many on the market have not been fully studied.”
Still, many apps for neurologic conditions have real benefits because they can help consumers personalize their self-care and medical care, says Vincent S. DeOrchis, MD, MS, FAAN, a neurologist at Neurological Associates of Long Island and director of neurology at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, NY, who developed the app Headway: Migraine Monitor. Tracking in general is a great idea, he adds.
“I actively encourage my patients to use headache-tracking apps and share the generated insights during consultations,” he says. “By reviewing their logged data and associated analytics, patients become more engaged in their care, making consultations more productive. The information from the app frequently highlights patterns, triggers, or responses to medication that might otherwise be overlooked, leading to more precise and personalized treatment adjustments.”
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