A major new study has found that wearable technology might help doctors detect Parkinson’s disease up to nine years before it is usually diagnosed.
The research focused on how people turn when they walk, and it suggests that changes in turning speed could be an early sign of the disease.
The study was a joint effort by researchers from five institutions, including the University Hospital of Kiel in Germany and Murdoch University in Australia. They followed 1,051 people who were all over the age of 50. The study lasted 10 years and was conducted at the University Hospital Tübingen in Germany.
Each person in the study wore a small sensor on their lower back while walking down a 20-meter hallway. This sensor measured how they turned, including how wide their turns were, how long they took to turn, and how fast they turned.
After collecting data for many years, researchers noticed a pattern. People who later developed Parkinson’s disease had slower turning speeds, even before they were diagnosed.
In fact, the study found that turning speed started to slow down nearly nine years before a doctor confirmed the disease. This finding is important because it shows that the way someone turns while walking can be one of the earliest signs of Parkinson’s.
To test the strength of their results, the scientists used a machine learning model that looked at age, sex, and turning speed. The model was able to predict who would develop Parkinson’s with a high level of accuracy—about 80.5% according to a measure called AUC, which shows how well a model can tell two groups apart.
Associate Professor Brook Galna from Murdoch University said this discovery is very promising. He explained that if we can spot the early signs of Parkinson’s by measuring turning speed, it could give doctors a chance to treat the disease earlier.
Right now, most people are not diagnosed with Parkinson’s until they already have symptoms like shaking, stiffness, or trouble walking. But by then, the disease has already caused damage to the brain.
If people at risk can be identified earlier, it would open the door to treatments that may slow down or even prevent the disease from getting worse. Early detection could also help people stay independent for a longer time and improve their quality of life.
This study shows how useful wearable technology can be. A small sensor that tracks simple walking movements might be enough to detect serious diseases long before they become obvious.
That means something as simple as how fast someone turns while walking could be a key to spotting Parkinson’s disease early.
In conclusion, this study highlights that a small change in how we move—something we might not even notice—could signal the early stages of Parkinson’s.
The researchers showed that a tiny sensor worn on the back could help doctors detect the disease almost a decade in advance. Their machine learning model further confirmed that turning speed is a strong predictor of Parkinson’s.
This discovery gives hope for earlier diagnosis, better treatment, and improved lives for people at risk of developing Parkinson’s. The study, titled “Turning Slowly Predicts Future Diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease: A Decade-Long Longitudinal Analysis,” was published in the journal Annals of Neurology.
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 information about brain health, please see recent studies that blueberry supplements may prevent cognitive decline, and results showing Plant-based diets could protect cognitive health from air pollution.
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