O App Parkinson assists in the care of people suffering from the disease. It is a progressive neurodegenerative condition, characterized by the destruction of certain brain neurons and the accumulation of clumps of proteins that are toxic to nerve cells. Because of the progress made in recent years, the pathophysiological processes at work are better understood. 

Ultimately, these discoveries should lead to the development of treatments that can stop or slow the progression of the disease, just like smartphone apps.

App Parkinson download

New technologies are increasingly acclaimed in assisting people with loss of autonomy. Given the extent of the offer, App Parkinson helps people with neurodegenerative diseases to choose the mobile application that best suits their needs.

Through users' interaction with their smartphone, this Parkinson's App aims to determine characteristics indicative of early development of the disease (through a message, a selfie, etc.).

The originality and interest of the project, is that the application is available to as many people as possible. This application, in connection with modern communication tools, makes sense in the face of this disease. The earlier it is detected, the more the evolutionary profile can be modified. 

The app is available in iOS and also Android versions.

How the Parkinson's App works

Artificial intelligence is used to develop algorithms capable of identifying the signs associated with the disease when using a smartphone. With the Parkinson's App, this is made easier, as well as providing numerous facilities for the user in the pursuit of quality of life.

As a reminder, today, in the absence of a reliable, early diagnostic test, the strategy is to identify people who have not yet developed characteristic symptoms, but who have an increased risk profile for the disease: for example, carriers of a gene implicated in the disease, or those with several warning signs, including very excited and even violent dreams at night. 

Ultimately, this app will alert doctors well in advance of symptoms usually visible at the appointment for early treatment.

Is it possible to use new technology to reduce the frequency of falls in people with Parkinson's disease? With the development of this app, the challenge can be met.

Motor Disorders to Other Symptoms

Parkinson's disease is a chronic, slowly progressive disease whose onset is insidious. The pre-clinical phase of the disease, before the first symptoms appear, probably lasts several years. During this period, the brain compensates for the drop in dopamine by means of plasticity processes, allowing the brain to function normally. Patients remain asymptomatic until 50-70% of the dopaminergic neurons are destroyed and the brain is no longer able to compensate. 

With the Parkinson's App, the progression of the disease is measured almost continuously. The app uses the microphone's touch screen and all its technology to judge the intensity of the tremors, the voice, but also the gait and balance of the patient. It seeks to understand more precisely what the nature of the crises is, how he reacts to medications, and how best to prescribe them. 

"Before these types of studies, we had very little data on how these people functioned on Saturdays and Sundays because patients didn't come to the clinic on weekends. We also had very little data on the health of people with Parkinson's at 2 a.m. or 11 p.m. because, unless they are hospitalized, they are generally not seen in clinics at those times," the experts say.

A self-rehabilitation system based on the rhythm of music

Patients with Parkinson's disease have difficulty walking, as they take small steps, walk at a slow speed, and may develop sudden and brief immobility. Gradually, these motor difficulties can cause more or less severe falls.

Slowness of movement or bradykinesia is a specific symptom of Parkinson's disease. Since movements are difficult to initiate, they are therefore rarer: walking is slow with small steps, the face remains impassive, and eye blinking slows down. Movements may become temporarily impossible (akinesia) with brief, sudden immobility.

This is a rhythmic auditory stimulation that will improve gait and reduce episodes of falls in people with Parkinson's disease. While listening to the music, the patient is asked to walk following the regular rhythm. And that is one of the possibilities of the Parkinson's App.