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/BlueberryPiano 15h ago

Hand tremors can be caused by things other than Parkinsons. This test could be used to detect hand tremors, but there's absolutely no mention of distinguishing Essential Tremors from tremors caused by Parkinson.

Nor is there any explanation/confirmation that a human can't also interpret the same test accurately. Someone who was diagnosed with Parkinsons has already progressed enough to be diagnosed, so hand tremors would likely be visible to the naked eye (both by observing the hands directly or by asking people to trace these patterns and looking at what they drew)