Smartwatches Could Help Detect Parkinson’s Disease up to 7 Years Earlier

The latest research has shown that smartwatches can provide data that allows AI to detect Parkinson’s disease as much as seven years before symptoms show. Detecting and diagnosing Parkinson’s early can mean more effective treatment options.

In the study, scientists analysed participants’ speed of movement. By using a machine learning algorithm, an AI programme was able to accurately predict who would go on to develop the disease.

UK Dementia Research Institute (UKDRI) and the Neuroscience and Mental Health Innovation Institute (NMHII) at Cardiff University conducted this study. The researchers say this method could be used as a new screening tool for the illness.

Smartwatches Could Help Detect Parkinson’s Disease up to 7 Years Earlier

Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition where there isn’t enough dopamine in the brain. This deficiency causes problems in the brain which worsen over time.

According to the charity Parkinson’s UK, it isn’t yet clear why people develop Parkinson’s. However, the researchers think it could be a combination of age, genetics, and environmental factors.

The main symptoms are involuntary shaking of parts of the body, slow movement, and stiff and inflexible muscles. However, there can also be psychological symptoms such as depression, loss of smell, and memory issues.

The majority of people with Parkinson’s start to show symptoms after the age of 50, but some experience symptoms in their 40s.

By the time the hallmark symptoms start to show, more than half of the cells in the affected part of the brain may already have died, making a form of earlier detection in high demand.

The researchers used data from 103,712 UK Biobank participants. They all wore a medical-grade smartwatch for a 7-day period between 2013-2016.

The study measured the average acceleration of the person continuously over a week-long period.

They compared the data from a subset of participants who had already been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease to another group who received a diagnosis up to seven years after the smartwatch data was collected. They could use AI to identify participants who would later go on to develop the disease.

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The AI was able to distinguish these participants from the control participants in the study. The researchers went on to show it could be used to identify those at risk in the general population.

They found that this was more accurate than any other risk factor or other recognised early sign of the disease in predicting whether someone would develop Parkinson’s. The model was also able to predict the time it would take to diagnose.

The findings were published in the journal Nature Medicine