Parkinson's pen project 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Developing a novel non-invasive aid for early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease: A feasibility study
IRAS ID
146247
Contact name
Richard Walker
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Research summary
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive, degenerative condition that affects movement. Subjective, handwriting examinations are commonly performed in the analysis of PD during clinical assessment. The Manus platform (developed by Manus Neurodynamica Ltd, Newcastle upon Tyne) is a novel sensor system that uses automated mathematical methods, integrated with a digital pen, that may assist with making a diagnosis in cases where a clear diagnosis cannot be made by a specialist physician. Sensors in the platform analyse movement of the pen, the hand and pen-hand interaction during a series of simple drawing and writing tasks. Levels of performance in these tasks allow a diagnosis to be made. The overall objective of this project is assessing the usefulness of the novel system for differentiating between PD and other diagnoses, such as essential tremor within the ‘real world’ clinical setting.
Current best practice for diagnosis of PD is expert clinical opinion or, in cases of doubt, DaTSCAN. DaTSCAN is expensive, requires specialist training to use and can be an unpleasant experience for patients.Over two years, we will recruit 101 people, referred to NHS PD services in North-East England, who are thought to have PD and who consent to participate. The study will be coordinated from Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. Assessment will be at one of the Trust's hospitals or at home if patients are unwilling or unable to travel. Those who do not have the capacity to consent due to cognitive impairment or other health problems will be excluded. If they consent, the spouses of those referred will also be assessed to provide further information on the system's accuracy. We will compare the diagnosis based on use of the platform to that obtained by current ‘best practice’. An accuracy of 90% sensitivity and 80% specificity is aimed for.
REC name
North East - York Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/NE/1037
Date of REC Opinion
24 Jul 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion