Objective: To provide a profile of early Parkinson’s disease (PD) using clinical and digital measures and determine whether digital measures can differentiate PD and controls and characterize symptom progression in early, untreated PD.

Background: The infrequent, variable nature of clinical assessments drives large sample sizes and extended trial durations. Digital technologies can obtain objective, frequent, high-granularity assessments of motor and non-motor function. The ability of sensor-derived and mobile measures to monitor progression in early, untreated PD is unknown.

Method: WATCH-PD is modelled on a disease-modifying proof-of-concept trial in de novo PD, and integrates standard clinical assessments with novel digital tools that objectively measure motor and cognitive function. Individuals with early, untreated PD (≤ 2 years since diagnosis, Hoehn & Yahr ≤ II) and age-matched controls participate in a 12-month study. In clinic, participants complete motor and cognitive tasks on an Apple Watch and iPhone (BrainBaseline), and wear a set of inertial sensors (APDM Mobility Lab) while performing the MDS-UPDRS Part III. At home, participants complete mobile assessments biweekly.

Results: 132 individuals (82 PD and 50 control) enrolled at 17 Parkinson Study Group sites completed baseline visits between July 2019 and December 2020. Mean MDS-UPDRS motor scores were 24.1 in PD vs. 2.7 in controls (p<0.001). Mobile assessments indicated significant group-level differences for dominant and non-dominant hands in the fine motor control test (PD lower, p<0.01), and finger tapping task (PD lower, p<0.005). The PD group showed a lower average score on the mobile digit symbols modalities test (p <0.05). Differences were not observed between groups on Trails A & B and visuospatial working memory tests.

Conclusion: The WATCH-PD trial is one of the first multi-center, prospective, longitudinal digital markers studies in untreated early PD patients. Preliminary analyses show that devices can differentiate between individuals with early, untreated PD and controls. Further analyses of longitudinal data may provide additional insights including the utility of wearable and mobile devices for measuring functional outcomes in clinical trials.

« Back to MDS Virtual Congress 2021

MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/watch-pd-wearable-assessments-in-the-clinic-and-home-in-parkinsons-disease-baseline-analyses/