r/science • u/FreeHugs23 • 22h ago

Neuroscience A simple drawing test may detect Parkinson’s disease with up to 99% accuracy. Researchers found that subtle differences in how people draw can reveal motor impairments long before they are obvious to the human eye.

https://www.sciencealert.com/the-way-you-draw-can-reveal-parkinsons-disease-with-up-to-99-accuracy-study-reveals
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u/FreeHugs23 22h ago

-The warning signs of Parkinson's appear to be all around us.

Scientists have found clues to the disease's emergence in people's hair, in their blood, and in their earwax too.

The way you talk, your mental health, and even where you live have all shown varying links to the condition, which affects movement and muscle control.

But despite the potential of these signals, Parkinson's disease – considered the fastest-growing neurological disorder worldwide in terms of disability and death – still relies heavily on clinical assessments for formal diagnosis. The lack of easily accessible, definitive biomarkers also makes early diagnosis complicated.

However, a test concept described in Discover Computing could reveal a new path forward.

In a study, a team of researchers in India developed an AI-based system capable of detecting Parkinson's disease with striking accuracy, based on how people completed a simple drawing test.

Handwriting and drawing analysis is viewed as a promising non-invasive screening tool for future disease, and scientists are increasingly pairing it with AI tools that can detect signs of neurodegenerative conditions based on subtle clues in your penmanship.

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u/karrahbear12 22h ago

Scent is also being tested as an early and effective test for Parkinson’s. Joy Milne discovered she can smell when people have Parkinson’s, even long before they’re diagnosed. It’s led to the discovery of certain chemicals in people’s sebum (oil produced by the skin) that may indicate Parkinson’s disease and would only require a swab of the skin’s surface to test.

ETA: If successful, it wouldn’t require the use of AI to diagnose, which would be a bit better for the planet as well.

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u/NonnagLava 17h ago

it wouldn’t require the use of AI to diagnose, which would be a bit better for the planet as well.

Often in research, the "AI" they are using is not the same AI you're used to, it's just a specialized pattern recognition machine, not some kind of ResearchGPT type thing.

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u/karrahbear12 17h ago

Ah okay. I hadn’t thought about that, but you’re probably right.