Neuro Note 4

A test for Parkinson's with a phone call

    In this Ted Talk, Max Little discusses Parkinson's disease and the importance of objective tools to detect it sooner so there is a better chance to find a cure. Parkinson's disease is a progressive nervous system disorder that affects the ability to control movement. This disease usually starts out slowly and worsens over time, eventually causing trouble talking, sleeping, walking, and with balance it coordination. It also causes someone to experience behavioral changes and/or have mental and memory problems. Some of the most common symptoms of Parkinson's are tremors, stiffness, and slowing of movement (bradykinesia). Many of these symptoms are due to a loss of neurons that produce dopamine, causing abnormal brain activity.  There are 6.3 million people worldwide who have this incurable disease. Little says that there are no biomarkers for this disease and therefore there is no simple blood test you can do. Instead, you have to take a 20 minute neurological test that is extremely costly, resulting in very few people being able to afford it. He believes that we can use voice-based test to determine where someone "lies on a continuum between health and disease" (Little, n.d.). Because vocal cords are affected with Parkinson's, Little says that we can use a digital microphone to track the vocal fold position as it vibrates. He states that these voice-based tests are non-invasive, use existing infrastructure, are accurate, non-expert (they can be self-administered), high-speed (take 30 seconds), and low-cost.  

    I chose this Ted Talk for my neuro note because there is still so much unknown with Parkinson's. Max Little is looking for a tool to allow anyone to diagnose Parkinson's, even if they cannot afford a conventional test. By finding a test that can diagnose Parkinson's sooner, there can be more research done to potentially find a cure. 


Sources

        Little, M. (n.d.). Transcript of “A test for Parkinson’s with a phone call.” Www.ted.com. Retrieved August 18, 2021, from https://www.ted.com/talks/max_little_a_test_for_parkinson_s_with_a_phone_call/transcript

        Mayo Clinic. (2020, December 8). Parkinson’s disease - symptoms and causes. Mayo Clinic; https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/parkinsons-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20376055

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