Contact-free sensors could help track movement symptoms in Parkinson’s

During this study, scientists from the UK Dementia Research Institute (UKDRI) Care Research & Technology Centre, of which the University of Surrey is a key member, sought to develop a more accurate and zero-burden way to track movement changes in people affected by Parkinson’s. Movement changes are a hallmark symptom of the disease and are traditionally difficult to monitor due to the infrequent nature of this measurement during clinical visits. Wearable technologies are a viable alternative; however, they are not without their challenges. 

To learn if sensors could help monitor movement changes in those affected by Parkinson’s, 15 participants with mild symptoms of Parkinsons and fourteen healthy participants, not affected by the disease, were recruited and performed a four-metre walking task in a living lab facility. Those with Parkinson’s participated in the task when they had just taken their medication and again when it was wearing off.   

Two sensors – a radar device, which enables passive motion tracking by detecting changes in the environment without emitting any energy of its own and a depth camera – were used to measure gait features, including stride length, stride time and gait of participants. 

It was found that both types of sensors could tell the difference between people with Parkinson’s whose medication was wearing off, and those not affected by the disease. The radar sensor also picked up differences between the two timepoints, when they had taken their medication and when it was wearing off, in people with Parkinson’s.  

Neither sensor found a clear difference between people with Parkinson’s who had just taken their medication and healthy controls. This suggests medication reduced some of the walking differences that the sensors could see. 

This study was published in the Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation.