AI Method Developed to Identify Parkinson's Disease
2022-08-25
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1American researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) method to identify Parkinson's disease.
2The system works by measuring a person's breathing patterns during sleep.
3A study describing the method says it can also measure the severity of disease and record its progression.
4The study recently appeared in the publication Nature Medicine.
5The researchers note that early signs of Parkinson's disease are not easy to discover.
6Many signs, or symptoms, only appear years after the disease sets in.
7Researchers have investigated other methods for identifying, or detecting, the disease before it has a chance to develop.
8These included examinations of brain fluid or brain images.
9But these methods are costly and require specialized medical centers.
10The research team says the new AI-based system is simple and can identify the disease early in its development.
11Parkinson's is a neurological disease that harms the brain.
12It often causes patients to lose the ability to control their movements.
13This can affect a patient's walking movements and cause body tremors.
14Many patients also suffer from cognition problems, as well as mental health issues and sleep difficulties.
15The World Health Organization (WHO) reports Parkinson's disease is currently the fastest growing neurological condition worldwide.
16Cases of the disease have doubled during the past 25 years.
17The WHO estimates that more than 8.5 million people worldwide have Parkinson's.
18Because of its effects on the body, dealing with the disease can put pressure on the health care system and individual caregivers.
19The AI method to identify Parkinson's was developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and other educational and health organizations.
20The system records data about a person's nighttime breathing.
21This information is collected by devices that measure signals from a breathing sensor on the body or from radio signals in the room.
22The data is then processed through what the researchers call a neural network.
23A neural network is a computer system built to simulate, or act like, the human brain.
24The neural network used by the Parkinson's disease tool contains "a series of connected algorithms," the researchers said in a statement.
25The algorithms examine the subject's breathing patterns in an effort to predict the presence of disease.
26Dina Katabi is a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT. She helped lead the research.
27She said the act of breathing has always been connected to Parkinson's disease.
28"A relationship between Parkinson's and breathing was noted as early as 1817, in the work of Dr. James Parkinson," Katabi said.
29She said this connection led the research team "to consider the potential of detecting the disease from one's breathing without looking at movements."
30Past studies have shown that breathing patterns linked to Parkinson's can appear years before other symptoms.
31This means the AI system can be an early predictor of the disease, Katabi said.
32The algorithm was tested on 7,687 individuals, including 757 Parkinson's patients.
33The study included data from several American hospitals and other public information.
34The experiments showed that with just one night of sleep, the AI system was able to detect Parkinson's disease with up to 86 percent accuracy, the study found.
35With 12 nights of data, the rate went up to 95 percent.
36The researchers say the simplicity of the tool will enable many more people to be tested for the disease in their homes.
37They said this can especially help people in traditionally underserved communities, as well as individuals living in rural areas or with limited abilities to visit hospitals.
38I'm Bryan Lynn.
1American researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) method to identify Parkinson's disease. 2The system works by measuring a person's breathing patterns during sleep. A study describing the method says it can also measure the severity of disease and record its progression. The study recently appeared in the publication Nature Medicine. 3The researchers note that early signs of Parkinson's disease are not easy to discover. Many signs, or symptoms, only appear years after the disease sets in. 4Researchers have investigated other methods for identifying, or detecting, the disease before it has a chance to develop. These included examinations of brain fluid or brain images. But these methods are costly and require specialized medical centers. 5The research team says the new AI-based system is simple and can identify the disease early in its development. 6Parkinson's is a neurological disease that harms the brain. It often causes patients to lose the ability to control their movements. This can affect a patient's walking movements and cause body tremors. Many patients also suffer from cognition problems, as well as mental health issues and sleep difficulties. 7The World Health Organization (WHO) reports Parkinson's disease is currently the fastest growing neurological condition worldwide. Cases of the disease have doubled during the past 25 years. 8The WHO estimates that more than 8.5 million people worldwide have Parkinson's. Because of its effects on the body, dealing with the disease can put pressure on the health care system and individual caregivers. 9The AI method to identify Parkinson's was developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and other educational and health organizations. 10The system records data about a person's nighttime breathing. This information is collected by devices that measure signals from a breathing sensor on the body or from radio signals in the room. 11The data is then processed through what the researchers call a neural network. A neural network is a computer system built to simulate, or act like, the human brain. 12The neural network used by the Parkinson's disease tool contains "a series of connected algorithms," the researchers said in a statement. The algorithms examine the subject's breathing patterns in an effort to predict the presence of disease. 13Dina Katabi is a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT. She helped lead the research. She said the act of breathing has always been connected to Parkinson's disease. "A relationship between Parkinson's and breathing was noted as early as 1817, in the work of Dr. James Parkinson," Katabi said. 14She said this connection led the research team "to consider the potential of detecting the disease from one's breathing without looking at movements." Past studies have shown that breathing patterns linked to Parkinson's can appear years before other symptoms. This means the AI system can be an early predictor of the disease, Katabi said. 15The algorithm was tested on 7,687 individuals, including 757 Parkinson's patients. The study included data from several American hospitals and other public information. 16The experiments showed that with just one night of sleep, the AI system was able to detect Parkinson's disease with up to 86 percent accuracy, the study found. With 12 nights of data, the rate went up to 95 percent. 17The researchers say the simplicity of the tool will enable many more people to be tested for the disease in their homes. They said this can especially help people in traditionally underserved communities, as well as individuals living in rural areas or with limited abilities to visit hospitals. 18I'm Bryan Lynn. 19Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from MIT and Nature Medicine. 20________________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22artificial intelligence - n. the development of computer systems with the ability to perform work that normally requires human intelligence 23pattern - n. a regular and repeated way in which something happens 24tremor - n. a shaking of part of the body that cannot be controlled 25cognition - n. the mental action or process of gaining knowledge and understanding through thought, experience and the senses 26algorithm - n. a set of steps that are followed in order to solve a mathematical problem or to complete a computer process 27potential - n. a possibility when the necessary conditions exist 28accurate - adj. correct or true 29___________________________________________________________________ 30What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 31Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.