Quantitative Assessment of Friedreich Ataxia through the self-drinking activity

The progression of neurodegenerative conditions can be effectively monitored and improved by using objective assessments. The conditions such as Friedreich Ataxia (FA) are clinically assessed by means of subjective measures commonly practised in clinics. Here, we propose a device capable of measuring ataxia, in the form of a `cup' capable of sensing certain kinematic parameters of interest while engaging in an activity that is closely related to daily living. In this study, the functional task of 'drinking' was utilised to diagnose participants with FA and capture features in terms of diagnosis (separation) and correlation with the clinical scales. Frequency domain analysis was incorporated enabling the classification of control subjects and FA patients to an accuracy of 88% with a correlation of 90% with the clinical scores.