Living with Parkinson’s disease often means that symptoms change from hour to hour.
A person may walk quite normally after taking medication but develop slower steps, shorter strides, or balance problems as the medicine wears off.
Because most medical appointments last only a short time, doctors may not always see these changes. Researchers have therefore been searching for better ways to monitor people in their everyday lives.
A new study offers a promising solution that requires almost no effort from patients. Instead of asking people to wear activity trackers or smartwatches, scientists tested sensors that could quietly monitor movement from inside the home.
The research, carried out by scientists at the UK Dementia Research Institute Care Research & Technology Center, including researchers from the University of Surrey, was published in the Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation.
The study involved 29 volunteers. Fifteen had mild Parkinson’s disease and fourteen did not have the condition. Everyone completed a short four-meter walking task while researchers measured their movements using a radar sensor and a depth camera.
The Parkinson’s group completed the walking test twice so researchers could compare their movements shortly after medication with movements later when the medication was becoming less effective.
The sensors measured walking features that doctors often use to judge Parkinson’s disease, including how long each step was and how much time passed between steps.
Both technologies successfully detected differences between healthy participants and people whose Parkinson’s symptoms had become more noticeable as medication wore off. The radar system was particularly useful because it could also identify changes within the same patient over time.
When participants had recently taken their medication, the sensors found no obvious difference between their walking and that of healthy volunteers. This finding suggests that treatment was helping restore more normal movement, highlighting how the technology may also be useful for measuring whether medicines are working as expected.
Unlike wearable devices, passive home sensors require no charging, no reminders, and no action from the patient.
This makes them attractive for long-term monitoring, especially for older adults who may forget to wear electronic devices every day.
Continuous monitoring could give doctors a much clearer picture of how symptoms change throughout daily life and allow treatment to be adjusted more accurately.
The researchers believe the technology could also improve future clinical trials by providing objective measurements of whether new treatments truly improve movement.
Study review and analysis: This was a small early study involving only 29 participants, so larger studies will be needed before these systems become part of routine care.
However, the findings are encouraging because the researchers tested the sensors under different medication conditions and compared them with healthy volunteers. Unlike wearable devices, home-based sensors do not rely on people remembering to wear or charge equipment, which could provide more complete information over long periods.
If future studies confirm these results, this technology could help doctors adjust treatment earlier, improve clinical trials, and support more personalized care for people living with Parkinson’s disease.
If you care about brain health ,please read studies about Vitamin B9 deficiency linked to higher dementia risk, and cranberries could help boost memory.
For more health information, please see recent studies about heartburn drugs that could increase risk of dementia, and results showing this MIND diet may protect your cognitive function, prevent dementia.
