Connected clocks may one day be able to participate in the early detection of Parkinson’s disease. A study by two UK institutes showed that these common and inexpensive devices could be used to obtain a diagnosis up to 7 years before symptoms appear.
This degenerative disease results in uncontrolled shaking of certain parts of the body, slowed movement and muscle stiffness. Other psychological symptoms may be present.
The researchers analyzed the movement records of nearly 103,000 study participants over one-week periods. They then compared the results between a group of people who had already been diagnosed with the disease with another group who had just been diagnosed and whose clock measurements went back 7 years.
This collection of data over a period of a few days enabled a computer model to be designed to track warning signs and highlight people at risk. Parkinson’s disease can start quietly and damage to brain cells can progress as symptoms appear.
There is currently no cure, but this approach would have the advantage of allowing patients access to treatments much earlier…when they are developed.
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