The BRadykinesia Akinesia INcoordination (BRAIN) Tap Test: Capturing the Sequence Effect
Hasan Hasan1, Maggie Burrows2,3, Dilan S Athauda2,4
1Institute of Neurology Queen Square University College London, London UK.
Movement Disorders Clinical Practice
|August 9, 2019
Summary
The enhanced BRadykinesia Akinesia INcoordination (BRAIN) tap test effectively measures upper limb motor function in Parkinson's disease (PD). A new velocity score detects bradykinesia and distinguishes medication states, with mobile compatibility.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Digital Health
Background:
- The BRadykinesia Akinesia INcoordination (BRAIN) tap test is an established online tool for assessing upper limb motor function in Parkinson's disease (PD).
- Previous validation focused on general motor function, necessitating further development for specific symptom detection and broader accessibility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel velocity score for the BRAIN tap test to quantify bradykinesia, specifically the sequence effect.
- To enhance the test's utility by enabling reliable differentiation between Parkinson's disease patients in on-medication and off-medication states.
- To validate a mobile-compatible version of the BRAIN tap test for smartphone and tablet use.
Main Methods:
- Compared BRAIN test scores between 61 PD patients and 93 healthy controls, incorporating established parameters and a new velocity score measuring intertap speed.
- Utilized the decrement in the velocity score as a marker for the sequence effect (bradykinesia).
- Validated the test's performance on various hardware, including mobile devices, with a separate cohort of 19 PD patients and 19 controls.
Main Results:
- The velocity score's quantified slopes effectively identified bradykinesia in PD patients, showing significant sensitivity and specificity in both discovery and validation phases.
- All BRAIN test parameters successfully differentiated between on- and off-medication states in PD patients.
- The test demonstrated efficacy across all hardware versions, including mobile devices, in distinguishing PD patients from healthy controls.
Conclusions:
- The BRAIN tap test is a user-friendly, free tool for assessing upper limb motor dysfunction in Parkinson's disease.
- The addition of the velocity score provides a direct measure of bradykinesia, improving diagnostic capabilities.
- The validated mobile version expands accessibility for remote monitoring and clinical use.
Related Concept Videos
02:02Cis-regulatory Sequences
11.6K
Cis-regulatory sequences are short fragments of non-coding DNA that are present on the same chromosomes as the genes that they regulate. These fragments serve as binding sites for transcriptional regulators, proteins that are responsible for controlling gene transcription and differential gene expression across cell types in eukaryotes. Cis-regulatory sequences can be close to the gene of interest or thousands of bases away in the DNA sequence; however, those sequences that are further away are...
11.6K
02:02Cis-regulatory Sequences
4.0K
4.0K
01:57Sanger Sequencing
773.5K
DNA sequencing is a fundamental technique that is routinely used in the biological sciences. This method can be applied to a range of questions at different scales - from the sequencing of a cloned DNA fragment or the study of a mutation in a gene up to whole-genome sequencing. However, despite the widespread use of sequencing today, it was not until 1977 that Fredrick Sanger and his collaborators developed the chain-termination method to decode DNA sequences. It relies on the separation of a...
773.5K
03:00Next-generation Sequencing
97.9K
The first human genome sequencing project cost $2.7 billion and was declared complete in 2003, after 15 years of international cooperation and collaboration between several research teams and funding agencies. Today, with the advent of next-generation sequencing technologies, the cost and time of sequencing a human genome have dropped over 100 fold.
Next-Generation Sequencing Methods
Although all next-generation methods use different technologies, they all share a set of standard features....
Next-Generation Sequencing Methods
Although all next-generation methods use different technologies, they all share a set of standard features....
97.9K
01:05Maxam-Gilbert Sequencing
12.7K
In the same year as the discovery of the Sanger sequencing method, another group of scientists, Allan Maxam and Walter Gilbert, demonstrated their chemical-cleavage method for DNA sequencing. The Maxam-Gilbert method relies on using different chemicals that can cleave the DNA sequence at specific sites, the separation of resulting DNA fragments of variable size using electrophoresis, and deciphering the DNA sequence from the resulting gel bands.
Challenges of the Maxam-Gilbert Method
The...
Challenges of the Maxam-Gilbert Method
The...
12.7K
01:26Per-Unit Sequence Models
433
An ideal Y-Y transformer, grounded through neutral impedances, displays per-unit sequence networks akin to those of a single-phase ideal transformer when subjected to balanced positive- or negative-sequence currents. These currents do not produce neutral currents, and their associated voltage drops.
Zero-sequence currents, which are identical in magnitude and phase, generate a neutral current, resulting in voltage drops across the neutral impedance and the low-voltage winding. If the...
Zero-sequence currents, which are identical in magnitude and phase, generate a neutral current, resulting in voltage drops across the neutral impedance and the low-voltage winding. If the...
433