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A comparative study of video-based and electromyography-based detection of tics
Grace Lowor1,2, Melvin Osei Opoku2, Julieth Gomez1,2
1Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA.
Clinical Parkinsonism & Related Disorders
|April 8, 2026
Summary
Electromyography (EMG) shows limited accuracy for detecting Tourette Syndrome (TS) tics alone. Integrating EMG with video analysis may improve objective tic detection and monitoring for better clinical decision-making.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Tourette Syndrome (TS) diagnosis relies on subjective scales, hindering precise tic evaluation.
- Objective and reliable methods are crucial for improving TS clinical decision-making and treatment monitoring.
Purpose of the Study:
- Compare the tic-detection performance of video and electromyography (EMG) algorithms.
- Investigate the potential benefits of multimodal integration for tic detection.
Main Methods:
- Synchronous video and EMG recordings from 14 TS participants.
- Utilized video object detection and EMG double-threshold methods for labeling 'Rest,' 'Tic,' and 'Move' states.
- Video-based detection served as the reference standard for comparison.
Main Results:
- Overall agreement between video and EMG modalities was 71.8%.
- EMG demonstrated high accuracy for 'Rest' but significantly lower performance for tic and voluntary movement detection.
- A weak positive correlation (0.14) was observed between EMG and video tic frequency detection.
Conclusions:
- EMG alone has limitations for standalone tic identification in TS.
- Multimodal integration of video and EMG shows promise for enhancing the accuracy and reliability of tic detection and monitoring.
