Something in The Way You Walk Changes Up to 7 Years Before a Parkinson's Diagnosis

Subtle changes in arm swing and other walking patterns may be detectable nearly seven years before a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, according to a study by researchers at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. سانا reported that Parkinson's can disrupt the natural coordination between arm and leg movements before more recognizable symptoms appear. ScienceAlert noted that the research was jointly led by Paulo Pelicioni and Sophie Waller.

The study analyzed wrist-worn sensor recordings from 73,413 UK Biobank participants whose medical records were followed for up to 10 years. During that follow-up period, 314 subjects were diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, according to GIGAZINE and سانا. Researchers used software called Watch Walk to assess step counts, walking speed, rhythm, and arm movement, distinguishing natural arm swing from other hand movements.

According to GIGAZINE, the research team used Watch Walk to extract digital walking biomarkers including daily steps and walking time, normal and maximum walking speed, walking quality, the percentage of fragmented walking or continuous walking, and hand position during walking. The findings, published in the Journal of Neural Transmission, showed that participants diagnosed within 40 months of wearing the sensors averaged about 4,000 steps daily. This compared with 6,400 steps daily among those without a recorded diagnosis. Those later diagnosed also showed lower maximum walking speeds, altered step rhythms, and reduced natural arm swing.

Differences in walking patterns were detectable nearly seven years before diagnosis, suggesting arm movement could provide early information beyond step counts alone. Researchers said the findings could eventually help identify candidates for clinical trials of treatments aimed at slowing disease progression and could be useful in identifying people at risk outside the doctor's office. However, the results reflect group-level differences and cannot predict individual diagnoses. Pain, medications, and other health conditions can also affect walking. Because movement was recorded during a single monitoring period, researchers could not determine when the changes began, highlighting the need for longer-term studies to identify how gait changes over time by regularly tracking the gait of the same subjects. Additionally, research into early diagnostic methods for Parkinson's disease has been ongoing, with AI-powered blood tests being considered promising.

Parkinson's disease results from damage to dopamine-producing nerve cells in the brain, causing slower movement, muscle stiffness, and impaired coordination. Three authors disclosed an agreement with SpaceTalk Inc. to commercialize the Watch Walk algorithm and may receive royalties, while research groups can use the software free of charge.