A simple computer keyboard could soon be able to detect the warning signs of Parkinson disease.
American and Spanish researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have just developed an algorithm capable of observing micro-fluctuations in the way you type the keys of a keyboard.
The algorithm distinguished Parkinson’s patients from healthy people
Scientists observed about twenty volunteers, with or without Parkinson’s, typing at the computer. The objective: to assess the impact of fatigue on typing patterns. A first group performed the daytime experiment while being fully awake while a second group had to perform the same nighttime exercise after being deprived of sleep.
Results: The algorithm was able to distinguish the way of hitting the keys of people with Parkinson’s from that of healthy people.
Parkinson’s: writing disorders are indicative of the disease
This chronic neurodegenerative disease begins 5 to 10 years before the onset of the first symptoms. The pathology occurs when the neurons responsible for producing dopamine (involved in movement control) gradually stop functioning.
The main symptoms of the disease then appear: difficulty and slowness in carrying out movements, tremors, stiffness in the muscles …
Handwriting disorders are often one of the first signs of the disease: the handwriting is less and less readable and smaller and smaller.
The researchers published their preliminary results in Scientific Reports of the journal Nature. However, the test participants were already diagnosed and therefore had impaired motor functions.
The goal in the future is to detect imperceptible signs of the disease. Further studies are needed to validate these results.
Read also :
– Infographic: all you need to know about Parkinson’s disease
– Parkinson’s: a vibrating pen to help patients write
