Sci Transl Med: Scientists hope to use a new smartphone to help monitor the progression of Parkinson's disease

9, 2021 // -- In a study published in the international journal Science Translational Medicine, Apple Inc. and several research institutions in the United States have jointly developed a smartwatch that may provide valuable resources to help track the progress of disease in people with Parkinson's disease.
article, the researchers described the pilot trial using an app developed by Apple's smartwatch, as well as a six-month informal trial of 225 People with Parkinson's disease using the smartwatch and the app.
Parkinson's disease is an ongoing disease that affects the body's nervous system, and with the degeneration of the neural sections of the brain's substrate, people with the disease begin to experience tremors, muscle problems, and difficulty moving, but there is no cure for the disease, but there are several drugs that can slow the progression of the disease and reduce the symptoms of the disease.
medical researchers have now noted that more data on the extent of symptoms of the disease experienced by patients can help improve treatment and provide guidance on changing drug doses to meet individual needs.
picture Source: R. In the latest study, researchers used smartwatches to monitor patients' likelihood of motion characterized by tremors/vibrations around the clock, using data from smartwatch gyroscopes and accelerometers, and developed a special app called Parkinson's Disease Motion Fluctuations Monitoring.
researchers began a preliminary study to determine whether the app could track Parkinson's symptoms in real time with 118 volunteers and several trained clinicians, and the results were so exciting that they conducted a larger six-month study of 225 Parkinson's patients who agreed to wear the smartwatch.
found that smartwatches can detect symptoms of disease that caregivers don't notice, and the researchers suggest that smartwatches and apps may be used as a special tool to help clinicians determine the dose of the drug based on the patient's progression.
has not yet announced whether it will continue testing the device or try clinical trials, which may require FDA approval if they need to do so later.
() Original source: Rob Powers1, Maryam Etezadi-Amoli, Edith M. Arnold, et al. Smartwatch inertial sensors continuously monitor real-world motor fluctuations in Parkinson’s disease, Science Translational Medicine03 Feb 2021: Vol. 13, Issue 579, eabd7865 doi：10.1126/scitranslmed.abd7865