Towards a new method for kinematic quantification of bradykinesia in patients with parkinson's disease using triaxial accelerometry

We propose a new kinematic analysis procedure using triaxial accelerometers mounted to the wrist in the assessment of bradykinesia in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The deviation of the magnitude of the accelerometer vector signal from the magnitude of the gravitational acceleration is taken as a measure for effective magnitude of the acceleration at the position of the triaxial accelerometer. For low acceleration, two of the three angles describing the orientation of the lower arm can be derived from the accelerometer signal

SPES/SCOPA and MDS-UPDRS: Formulas for converting scores of two motor scales in Parkinson’s disease

AbstractBackgroundMotor impairment in Parkinson’s disease (PD) can be evaluated with the Short Parkinson’s Evaluation Scale/Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson’s disease (SPES/SCOPA) and the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS). The aim of this study was to determine equation models for the conversion of scores from one scale to the other.Methods148 PD patients were evaluated with the SPES/SCOPA-motor and the MDS-UPDRS motor examination. Linear regression was used to develop equation models.ResultsScores on both scales were highly correlated (r = 0.88). Linear regression revealed the following equation models (explained variance: 78%):1.MDS-UPDRS motor examination score = 11.8 + 2.4 ∗ SPES/SCOPA-motor score2.SPES/SCOPA-motor score = −0.5 + 0.3 ∗ MDS-UPDRS motor examination score.ConclusionWith the equation models identified in this study, scores from SPES/SCOPA-motor can be converted to scores from MDS-UPDRS motor examination and vice versa

Does Deep Brain Stimulation of the Subthalamic Nucleus Prolong Survival in Parkinson's Disease?

Neurological Motor Disorder

Loss of integrity and atrophy in cingulate structural covariance networks in Parkinson's disease

Neuro Imaging Researc

Sunram 7: An MR Safe Robotic System for Breast Biopsy

In breast cancer patients, some nodules are only visible on MRI, thus, requiring MRI-guidance to perform the biopsy. MRI interventions are cumbersome due to the magnetic field and the constrained working space. An MR safe robotic system actuated by pneumatic stepper motors may enable these procedures, improving both accuracy and image-guided navigation. A compact multipurpose pneumatic stepper motor has been designed with outer dimensions $(45 \times 40\times 15)\mathbf{mm}^{\mathbf{3}}$. This is configurable as a linear, rotational or curved stepper motor with a customizable step size and radius of curvature. Five copies of these motors actuate the Sunram 7 biopsy robot, of which the moving part (without protruding racks and tubes) measures $(130 \times 65\times 55)\mathbf{mm}^{\mathbf{3}}$. After manually choosing the target location and angle of approach, the needle is robotically inserted into the breast and the integrated pneumatic biopsy gun is fired to sample tissue from the lesion. The maximum torque of the presented motor is 0.61 N m at 6 bar which can be achieved using 13-teeth polycarbonate gears. Using 17-teeth gears for higher accuracy and a more convenient working pressure of 2 bar the maximum torque is 0.28 N m. The accuracy in free air of the Sunram 7 robot is 1.69mm and 1.72mm in X and Z-direction respectively, with a resulting 2-D error of 2.54 mm. The workspace volume is 4.1 L. When targeting 10 mm-sized lesions in phantoms under MRI guidance, Sunram 7 achieved a success rate of 68%. The minimum interval between two successive biopsies was 5:47 minutes. The presented multipurpose stepper motor has distinct advantages over previous designs in terms of robustness, customizability, printability and ease of integration in MR safe robotics. The Sunram 7 is able to perform accurate MRI-guided biopsies in a large workspace volume while reducing the intervention time when compared to the gold standard (i.e., MRI-guided free-hand biopsy)

Altered Whole-Brain and Network-Based Functional Connectivity in Parkinson's Disease

Neuro Imaging Researc

Optical Hand Tracking: A Novel Technique for the Assessment of Bradykinesia in Parkinson's Disease

Neurological Motor Disorder