Online AI test outperforms primary care physicians in assessing Parkinson’s disease

A test of a new AI tool that can assess the severity of Parkinson’s disease (PD) showed that it outperforms primary care doctors with Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale certification, but did not outperform neurologists, who fared slightly better than AI. Patients can participate in the test from home by tapping their fingers ten times in front of a webcam to assess their motor performance on a scale of 0 to 4.

Traditionally, doctors have relied on patients performing basic motor tasks to assess movement disorders and rate the severity using guidelines like the MDS-UPDRS scale. This AI model streamlines the process by rapidly generating computational metrics such as speed, amplitude, frequency, and period. Click here to learn more.

Ataxia at first assessment predicts four-year functional outcomes

According to a natural history study, worse ataxia at an initial assessment predicted poor outcomes after four years in people with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA). The speed of disease progression was different: fastest in those in the earliest disease stages and gradually slowing as it advanced. Being younger at the evaluation was also associated with a faster rate of ataxia progression. Click here to learn more.

Study reveals how mutated protein invades the brain in Parkinson’s

The association between neurodegenerative disorders and the aggregation and spread of proteins such as alpha-synuclein has been well-researched. But what remains unclear is what comes first: aggregation or spread. A new study by researchers at the Tokyo Medical and Dental University opens the door to developing a way of halting the disease’s progression and may be useful in tackling other neurodegenerative diseases caused by protein aggregation.

“Most experiments conducted so far only used fibrils, which are the clumps formed when monomeric alpha-synuclein aggregates,” said Kyota Fujita, the study’s lead author. “The fibrils are transmitted from neurons to neurons, but it remains unclear whether monomers act in the same way.” Click here to learn more.

What is Benign Essential Blepharospasm?

Benign essential blepharospasm (BEB), a form of focal dystonia, is a disorder of involuntary spasms involving the eyelid protractor muscles. First reported in 1857, BEB can have debilitating functional and social effects. It usually starts with more frequent eyelid blinking episodes, and while the severity of the spasms varies, many cases proceed to the point where the patients are functionally blind.

Blepharospasm has an unknown etiology, and while the cause of BEB also is unknown, several pathophysiological pathways have been proposed. Click here to learn more.

Innovative therapies to be presented at the 2023 Rocky Mountain HDSA Family Education Day, Oct. 21

Learn about new studies aimed at slowing the progression of Huntington's disease from Rajeev Kumar, MD, of the Rocky Mountain Movement Disorders Center, at the 2023 Rocky Mountain HDSA Family Education Day and hear the latest information on how the HD gene mutation causes the progressive brain degenerative disease.

"As a result of this improved understanding," reports Dr. Kumar, "a large number of innovative and promising therapies are being tested in clinical trials. At the HDSA Family Education Day, we'll review studies aimed at slowing disease progression or improving symptoms, as well as opportunities for study participation for both patients with symptoms and individuals who are gene positive but have not yet developed symptoms."

The 2023 Rocky Mountain Huntington's Disease Family Education Day, will be held on Saturday, October 21, at Bethany Lutheran Church in Cherry Hills Village, CO. Doors open at 8:30 am and admission is free. Click here for program information and to register online.