A Quick Toe-Tapping Test Could Track Parkinson’s Progression

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder that attacks the central nervous system, with the biggest impacts usually being on the motor system. Early symptoms can be as minor as muscle stiffness or tremors, but often progress to serious mobility issues that manifest as decreased balance and physical coordination. Trained medical professionals can identify those symptoms visually, but more qualitative diagnoses come from analysis using the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). Testing for UPDRS forces a patient to visit a doctor and that isn’t always easy, which is why Texas A&M University engineers developed an unobtrusive device for toe-tapping UPDRS testing.

Standard UPDRS testing involves a combination of walking and toe-tapping, which doctors can analyze to determine the severity of a patient’s disease. Over time, those test results show disease progression and treatment efficacy. The toe-tapping part of the testing indicates the patient’s motor coordination and is what this device handles. The device fits into the patient’s shoe as an insole and contains the necessary sensors and a rechargeable battery. Accelerometers collect objective data on a patient’s foot movement, so the device can detect the accuracy with which patients are able to follow the toe-tapping test exercises.

This device has potential because it lets patients complete their UPDRS testing from the comfort of their home. For people with Parkinson’s disease, mobility is the problem and that can make it difficult for them to get to their doctor safely without assistance. It can also be expensive for a doctor to perform the testing. This device connects to the user’s phone, which records the data from the accelerometers. Software or a medical professional can then interpret that data to assign a UPDRS rating. Because it is easy to do at home, patients are more likely to perform regular testing and that could help with their treatment. Instead of relying on subjective perception to gauge the efficacy of medication or physical therapy, patients could obtain regular, objective data that yields a definitive analysis of treatments.

At this time, the device is a prototype and proof of concept. But none of the hardware required is expensive or difficult to source, which means that it could go into production very soon if the market proves to be viable.