Technologies Assessing Limb Bradykinesia in Parkinson's Disease

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Rehabilitation Technology

Background:

• Parkinson's disease (PD) assessment relies on the Movement Disorders Society - Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS).
• Bradykinesia subscores within the MDS-UPDRS exhibit low reliability due to rater variability.
• Technological innovations offer potential solutions for objective motor impairment measurement in PD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and describe technologies for measuring limb bradykinesia in Parkinson's disease.
• To cover technologies published between 2006 and 2016.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted across major scientific databases (PubMed, IEEE Xplore, Web of Science, Scopus, Engineering Village).
• The search identified technologies assessing limb bradykinesia in PD up to October 18, 2016.

Main Results:

• 47 distinct technologies for assessing PD bradykinesia were identified.
• 17 technologies supported both home and clinic-based assessments, while 30 were clinic-based only.
• Most technologies (40/47) were validated in both PD patients and healthy controls; 28 assessed bradykinesia alongside other parkinsonian features.

Conclusions:

• Technology-based tools provide objective motor assessment and enable home monitoring of PD symptoms.
• These tools can enhance the evaluation of intervention responses in clinical trials and routine care.
• This review serves as a repository of current technologies and discusses future trends in PD assessment technology.