APRIL IS PARKINSON'S AWARENESS MONTH/NEW VOICE TEST

WE ARE JUST OVER THE HALFWAY MARK,
ARE YOU HALFWAY AWARE OF P.D. ???

Now, a voice test to predict Parkinson's!

PTI, Apr 16, 2010, 02.52pm IST

Now, a voice test to predict Parkinson's! (Getty Images)

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In what could be called a major breakthrough, scientists claim to have developed a voice test which can predict Parkinson's disease years earlier in people.

Parkinson's is normally only diagnosed once symptoms show -- meaning it's already at an advanced stage and patients have lost a significant number of brain cells. Now, an Israeli team has devised a test to predict the neurological disorder.

In their research, the team from Haifa University have discovered that by measuring tiny changes in speech patterns, undetectable to human ear, they can tell whether a seemingly healthy person is a sufferer.

Accordingly, they developed a computer programme that can identify a Parkinson's "voice", which they claim could be used for screening those who are at the hereditary risk of the disease or as part of a national screening programme, British newspaper the Daily Mail reported.

Speech is affected by the disorder because it causes a deterioration of muscles in the neck and mouth -- giving some sufferers a husky voice. But the change is apparent to human ear after the disease has been diagnosed through symptoms such as rigid muscles, tremors, slow movement, and loss of balance.

The new test needs only a couple of sentences from patients, say the scientists.