A study suggests that smartwatches may have the potential to aid in the early diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease by up to seven years before symptoms manifest. The UK Dementia Research Institute team at Cardiff University employed artificial intelligence to analyze data from 103,712 individuals who wore smartwatches. By monitoring their movement speed over a span of one week, between 2013 and 2016, they were able to make predictions about those who would develop Parkinson’s in the future. This breakthrough holds promise as a potential screening tool; however, further research is necessary to validate the accuracy of these findings when compared with data collected globally, as stated by the researchers in the journal Nature Medicine.
Parkinson’s disease progressively damages the brains of affected individuals over many years.
Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease encompass involuntary shaking or tremors, slow movement, and stiff, inflexible muscles. However, the unfortunate reality is that by the time a diagnosis is confirmed, significant and irreversible damage to brain cells has often already occurred. Dr. Cynthia Sandor, the leader of the study, highlighted the potential of smartwatches as a cost-effective and dependable means of identifying early-stage Parkinson’s, considering that approximately 30% of the UK population utilize these devices.
“We have demonstrated that a mere week of captured data has the potential to predict events occurring up to seven years ahead,” she stated. “These findings offer the possibility of developing a valuable screening tool that can assist in the early detection of Parkinson’s disease. Such a tool holds implications for both research, by enhancing participant recruitment in clinical trials, and clinical practice, by enabling patients to access treatments at an earlier stage in the future, once these treatments become available.” The study leveraged data from the UK Biobank, a comprehensive health database comprising over half a million individuals.