Using machine learning to differentiate between Parkinson's disease and essential tremor

Machine Learning Analysis Of The Tapping Test And The Archimedean Spiral For The Differential Diagnosis Of Essential Tremor And Parkinson's Disease.

This study is testing a new way to use machine learning to tell the difference between tremors caused by Parkinson's disease and those caused by essential tremor in people who have already been diagnosed with either condition.

Quick facts

• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 110 (estimated)
• Ages: 45 Years to 79 Years
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: Consorci Sanitari de l'Alt Penedès i Garraf (other)
• Locations: 1 site (Barcelona, Catalonia)
• Trial ID: NCT06378619 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This observational study aims to develop a diagnostic method utilizing machine learning techniques to distinguish between tremors caused by Parkinson's disease and those caused by essential tremor. It will involve 110 patients who have been accurately diagnosed with either condition. Participants will undergo two specific diagnostic tests, the tapping test and the Archimedean spiral, to gather data for analysis. The goal is to improve diagnostic accuracy, which is crucial for appropriate treatment and management.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates include individuals with a confirmed diagnosis of either Parkinson's disease or essential tremor who can participate in the necessary evaluations.

Not a fit: Patients without a confirmed diagnosis of tremor or those unable to provide informed consent may not benefit from this study.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this study could lead to more accurate diagnoses of tremor conditions, allowing for better-targeted treatments.

How similar studies have performed: While the use of machine learning in medical diagnostics is gaining traction, this specific approach to differentiate between these two tremor conditions is relatively novel.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* Possibility to collaborate in the necessary evaluations.
* Follow-up in the specialized consultation of Movement Disorders at the Neurology Service of Hospital Sant Camil-Consorci Sanitari Alt Penedes i Garraf.
* Legal capacity to provide informed consent.
* Signature of informed consent for study inclusion, either by the participant themselves or by their legal representative.
* Participant with criteria from Group 1 or 2:

Group 1:

* Confirmed diagnosis of tremor due to Parkinson's disease, clinically established, based on the diagnostic criteria of the Movement Disorders Society, and additionally:
* Tremor associated with bradykinesia of any duration.
* Confirmatory clinical diagnosis of tremor due to Parkinson's disease (stages 1 to 2 of Hoehn and Yahr) by the neurologist responsible for the participant's follow-up.

Group 2:

* Confirmed diagnosis of essential tremor, based on the criteria of the Movement Disorders Society, and additionally:
* Positional tremor plus kinetic and/or resting tremor with follow-up in outpatient neurology consultations for at least 3 years without a change in diagnosis.
* Absence of bradykinesia.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients undergoing treatment with antipsychotics or antidepressants.
* Patients with Parkinson's disease and dyskinesias.
* Patients undergoing treatment with dopaminergic agonists or primidone.
* Tremor of such severity that it prevents continuous tracing, at the investigator's discretion.
* Cognitive or affective pathology that limits the ability to collaborate with the study procedures.
* Participation in another clinical study involving an intervention, procedure, or visit frequency that is incompatible with the present study.
* Participants diagnosed with any of the following conditions:

Alcoholism of sufficient intensity to influence handwriting or cause neuropathy, at the investigator's discretion. Peripheral neuropathy of any cause. Dystonias. Previous stroke.

Where this trial is running

Barcelona, Catalonia

• Hospital Sant Camil-Consorci Sanitari Alt'Pènedes i Garraf — Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain (RECRUITING)

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: José Luis Camacho, MD — Consorsi Sanitari Alt Penedes i Garraf
• Study coordinator: José Luis Camacho, MD

Conditions: Tremor, Essential Tremor, Parkinson Disease, Diagnosis, Differential, Machine Learning