Accelerometry signals’ recording protocol and database for the quantitative diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

Quantitative diagnosis of Parkinon’s disease is based on the precise measurement of specific aspects of the varied symptoms of the disease, using accelerometry signals. This work introduces a recording protocol for accelerometry signals obtained during the motor evaluation of the MDS-UPDRS diagnostic scale. This protocol was applied on a group of parkinsonian patients and a group of control subjects, creating a database that unifies the accelerometry signals and the clinical data of the subjects, which simplifies the access to all the information. An analysis of the data obtained showed that the age of diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease was different in our group of patients than in the literature, and the MDS-UPDRS at the time of diagnosis was higher than reported by others, meaning that the diagnosis was reached at a later stage. These conclusions highlight the importance of gathering national data and making it available to specialists, to improve Parkinson’s diagnosis and treatment.