The study says: Parkinson's disease is not only related to the symptom of 'movement'

Parkinson's disease is the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder. As a rule, the disease begins between the ages of 40 and 70, with an average age of onset in the seventh decade of life, and is estimated to affect over ten million people worldwide.

It is known that the main clinical manifestations of the disease are resting tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia and postural reflex dysfunction. However, there are some early symptoms that warn of the onset of the disease and these, according to Lithuanian researchers, are related to speech disorders, foreign media write.

Previous research has shown that changes in speech occur before the onset of other motor problems. Kaunas University of Technology researchers wanted to focus, with the help of artificial intelligence, on these changes as a possible early sign of the onset of the disease. The results of their research were published in Applied Sciences.

The researchers recorded and analyzed the speech of people with and without Parkinson's disease. With the help of a special algorithm they saw that people in the early stages of Parkinson's disease tended to speak more softly and monotonously, slowly and fragmented. Initially these changes are invisible and not easily detected. As the disease progresses, the patient's speech becomes more affected, stuttering becomes more pronounced, speech becomes unclear, and pauses between words are lost.

In the first phase, researchers have developed an algorithm that can distinguish healthy people from those speaking with symptoms of Parkinson's disease. As technology develops, the algorithm that detects speech can become more detailed and sensitive. In any case, the researchers do not intend to create a tool that will replace clinical examination. " Our method is designed to facilitate early diagnosis of the disease and to monitor the effectiveness of treatment ," said Rytis Maskeli?nas, a researcher from Kaunas University of Technology, in a University statement.

According to the researchers, the algorithm does not require complex hardware to be part of a future mobile application. But first, more studies need to be done with more patients. With more data, the algorithm will continue to "learn" different speech patterns and recognize the signs of Parkinson's much earlier. Another question that needs to be explored is whether the algorithm will be efficient in the context of the doctor's visit or the patient's home as opposed to the laboratory.