A scientist at the University of Florida has created a new computer program that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help doctors understand and treat Parkinson’s disease and other movement problems.
The program, called VisionMD, looks at videos of patients and finds small changes in how they move. This can help doctors track how the disease is getting better or worse over time, and how well treatments are working.
The program was developed by Dr. Diego Guarin, a professor in the College of Health and Human Performance. He wanted to solve a problem many doctors face: judging how a patient moves by just watching them can be hard and inconsistent.
Sometimes, different doctors can have different opinions after watching the same video. This can make it difficult to know how well a patient is doing.
Dr. Guarin and his team have shown in past studies that videos of simple tasks, like tapping fingers, can reveal a lot about how Parkinson’s disease is progressing. But reviewing videos takes time, and doctors are often too busy.
So, he built software that can do the job quickly and accurately. With just a few clicks, the program can give detailed information about a person’s movements.
The VisionMD tool works on regular videos, whether they are recorded with a smartphone, laptop, or through video calls like Zoom.
It measures movements very carefully and shows the results in a clear way. One key feature is that the program runs on the user’s computer, not in the cloud. This means patients’ data stays safe and private.
The software is already being used by doctors and researchers in other countries, including Germany, Spain, and Italy. They are using it to study thousands of videos of patients and learning how AI can help in diagnosing and treating movement disorders.
One doctor in Germany, Dr. Florian Lange, said the software is a big help because it gives steady, reliable data. He explained that even experienced doctors can disagree when watching a video of a patient.
One might say the symptoms are mild, another might say they are serious. But VisionMD gives the same answer every time. It removes guesswork and replaces it with facts.
Dr. Lange works with another professor, Dr. Martin Reich, to treat patients who use a special device called a deep brain stimulator (DBS).
DBS is used to ease symptoms like tremors. It can be hard to know the best settings for the device because there are so many possibilities. But VisionMD helps find the best option by comparing videos taken with different settings.
The best part is that VisionMD is open-source, which means anyone can use it for free. Researchers and doctors can also change it or add features to make it better. The team behind the program is already working on adding more ways to measure movement so it can be used in even more situations.
Doctors who have started using VisionMD say it is fast and easy to use. Dr. Guarin believes that most doctors, even those who are not familiar with technology, will be able to use it with no problem.
In summary, this new tool makes it easier for doctors to understand how a patient with Parkinson’s is doing. It saves time, removes guesswork, and keeps patient data private. It is already making a difference in clinics and research labs around the world.
If you care about Parkinson’s disease, please read studies that Vitamin B may slow down cognitive decline, and Mediterranean diet could help lower risk of Parkinson’s.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how wheat gluten might be influencing our brain health, and Olive oil: a daily dose for better brain health..
The study is published in npj Parkinson’s Disease.
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