Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative condition that not only damages your nervous system, but also affects parts of the brain, including the brain, that function with the help of nerves. Therefore, shaking causes undesirable movements such as stiffness and difficulty in coordination. It is important to note that Parkinson’s is not a curable disease. However, early diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson’s provide effective results in the course of the disease.
DISORDER IN TALK IS IMPORTANT
‘Changes in speech’ are the first symptoms of Parkinson’s to appear before tremors and muscle stiffness, according to new research. Researcher Rytis Maskeliūnas from the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) and his team believe that ‘changes in speech often occur even before motor dysfunctions’. “This is why altered speech can be the first sign of illness,” he adds. In addition, Virgilijus Ulozas, Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at the LSMU School of Medicine, said that in the early stages of the disease, patients can speak quietly. Their tone may be dull, slower and more fragmented, less noticeable to the ear.
PARKINSON PATIENTS CAN BE DETECTED BY THEIR TALK
For the study, a microphone was used in a soundproof cabinet to record the speech of healthy and Parkinson’s patients. prof. “So far, our approach has been able to distinguish Parkinson’s patients from healthy people using a speech sample,” said Kipras Pribuišis. “We are not creating a substitute for the routine examination of the patient. Our method is designed to facilitate early diagnosis of disease and monitor the effectiveness of treatment,” says researcher Maskeliūnas.
The results have enormous scientific potential. “Of course, there is a long and difficult road to go before they can be applied in daily clinical practice,” he shares.
The team of researchers believe that using artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze and evaluate speech signals could be a great and easy way to diagnose Parkinson’s in maybe seconds.
SYMPTOMS OF PARKINSON
Parkinson’s symptoms are not limited to speech. The neurodegenerative condition can also affect motor skills. Symptoms include:
- Shake
- slow movements
- stiff muscles
- Difficulty maintaining posture, balance, and coordination
- loss of movement
- difficulty in writing