Digital Handwriting Reveals Motor Impairment, Dopaminergic Response, and Progression in Parkinson's Disease.
Digital Handwriting Reveals Motor Impairment, Dopaminergic Response, and Progression in Parkinson's Disease.
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Original abstract
BackgroundDigital handwriting distinguishes PD patients from healthy controls but is rarely assessed quantitatively.ObjectivesTo evaluate digital handwriting as an objective tool to assess motor impairment, dopaminergic response, and progression in PD.MethodsParticipants (Healthy Controls, n = 52; De Novo PD Patients assessed at baseline and after 7 weeks, n = 50; PD Patients in OFF-ON states following inhaled levodopa, n = 26; PD Progression Patients, n = 60) wrote a standard sentence on a digitizing tablet.ResultsDe Novo PD Patients showed reduced handwriting speed and increased in-air time. Acute dopaminergic stimulation in OFF-ON states was associated with shorter in-surface and in-air time. Longer disease duration was associated with increased variability in speed and acceleration. Higher MDS-UPDRS Part III scores were associated with lower speed and acceleration.ConclusionsDigital handwriting is an objective digital biomarker for quantifying PD dysgraphia and its response to dopaminergic treatment.