Category: Parkinson's Disease (Other)
Objective: To investigate acute and short-term motor responses to Levodopa in drug-naive PD patients using combined clinical assessment and wearable sensor-based gait analysis.
Background: Levodopa responsiveness is a key diagnostic and therapeutic marker in Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, standard clinical scales, such as the MDS-UPDRS Part III, may fail to capture subtle motor changes, particularly gait alterations and dual-task interference. Wearable sensors provide objective, quantitative measures of motor performance and may enhance the evaluation of motor response during the Levodopa Challenge Test (LCT).
Method: Levodopa responsiveness is a key diagnostic and therapeutic marker in Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, standard clinical scales, such as the MDS-UPDRS Part III, may fail to capture subtle motor changes, particularly gait alterations and dual-task interference. Wearable sensors provide objective, quantitative measures of motor performance and may enhance the evaluation of motor response during the Levodopa Challenge Test (LCT).
Results: MDS-UPDRS part III scores significantly improved both acutely and after 7 days of treatment (p < 0.01). Wearable sensors detected significant improvements in gait speed, stride length, and step duration from baseline to 90 minutes across all walking conditions, with the largest effects observed during fast and dual-task walking. Gait speed emerged as the most sensitive digital parameter. No additional improvements were observed between the acute and 7-day sensor assessments. Importantly, wearable metrics revealed measurable motor improvements in both clinical responders and non-responders.
Conclusion: Wearable sensors enhance the sensitivity of the LCT by detecting subtle gait improvements not fully captured by clinical scales. Digital gait biomarkers provide objective insight into individual Levodopa responsiveness and may support personalized management and real-world monitoring in PD.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
A. Rizzardi, A. Bonito, C. Zatti, N. Agostini, A. Magliozzi, G. Foresti, K. Eshja, C. Hansen, R. Romijnders, W. Maetzler, A. Pilotto, A. Padovani. Monitoring Levodopa Responsiveness in Parkinson’s disease using wearable sensors: the digital levodopa challenge [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2026; 41 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/monitoring-levodopa-responsiveness-in-parkinsons-disease-using-wearable-sensors-the-digital-levodopa-challenge/. Accessed October 1, 2026.« Back to 2026 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/monitoring-levodopa-responsiveness-in-parkinsons-disease-using-wearable-sensors-the-digital-levodopa-challenge/