Faster Method to Detect Parkinson’s May Lead to Better Control of Symptoms

Alzheimer's, Parkinson's & Mental Health

Faster Method to Detect Parkinsons May Lead to Better Control of Symptoms

This disorder of the nervous system affects movement and usually strikes seniors over 60; see video

MSUs Rahul Shrivastav chats with Parkinsons patient Peter Hasbrook.

June 13, 2013 - Parkinsons disease is a neurological disorder that affects a half million people in the United States, with about 50,000 newly diagnosed cases each year. And, it normally strikes older people as the pass age 60. There is no cure and, until now, no reliable method for detecting the disease.

But a research team from Michigan State has developed an innovative detection method they say is a major breakthrough in diagnosing Parkinsons in early stages - the point at which treatment to control symptoms is most effective.

Parkinson's, a disorder of the nervous system that affects movement, occurs when nerve cells in the brain stop producing the chemical dopamine, which helps control muscle movement. Without dopamine, nerve cells cant properly send messages, causing the loss of muscle function. (See more in box below from MedlinePlus.)

The method of detection, developed in part by Rahul Shrivastav, professor and chair of MSUs Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, involves monitoring a patients speech patterns, specifically movement patterns of the tongue and jaw. Shrivastav says Parkinsons affects all patients speech and changes in speech patterns are detectable before other movement and muscles are affected by the disease.

The new early detection method has proved to be more than 90 percent effective and is noninvasive and inexpensive. Requiring as little as two seconds of speech, monitoring can be done remotely and in telemedicine applications. In addition, the new method has the potential to track the progression of Parkinsons and measure the effectiveness of treatment.

Researcher profile: Rahul Shrivastav

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Faster Method to Detect Parkinson’s May Lead to Better Control of Symptoms