Move Over Activity Tracking, Smartwatches May Soon Be Able To Predict Parkinson's Disease

Smartwatches are poised to revolutionize healthcare by potentially predicting the onset of Parkinson's disease, surpassing their traditional role of fitness tracking. 

What Happened: Smartwatches from industry tech giants like Apple Inc. AAPL, Alphabet Inc. GOOG GOOGL, and Garmin are loved by fitness-conscious consumers who want to keep on top of their metrics, but health benefits may now go beyond a step count. 

In a study published in the journal Nature Medicine, researchers have found that wearable tech, such as smartwatches, could play a pivotal role in the early diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurodegenerative movement disorder

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Diagnosing Parkinson’s disease is often a lengthy and challenging process due to its slow progression and subtle symptoms, such as slow movement, tremors, and muscle stiffness. 

However, a team of scientists from Cardiff University’s Neuroscience and Mental Health Innovation Institute or NMHII and the U.K. Dementia Research Institute has made significant strides in this area. 

By harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and analyzing the accelerometry data from over 100,000 smartwatch wearers, they have successfully identified individuals already diagnosed with Parkinson’s and those in the early stages of the disease who remain undiagnosed.

The discovery goes further by predicting when a clinical diagnosis will occur, offering potential lead times of up to seven years before symptoms manifest. 

This is crucial because Parkinson’s disease causes the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells and by the time clinical diagnosis occurs, a significant portion of these cells is already depleted.

Why It's Important: Last year, it was reported that Apple has been making significant strides in the healthcare domain, leveraging its iPhones to introduce health features and partnering with Stanford University School of Medicine for extensive medical studies. 

The company has also collaborated with medical researchers, enabling them to leverage Apple devices for conducting studies and facilitating patients’ sharing and discussion of health data. 

Cupertino also has strategic plans to transform AirPods into health devices, expanding their capabilities to include functions such as monitoring body temperature, enhancing hearing, and tracking posture. 

Notably, Google has also shown similar ambitions in incorporating health features into their smartwatches. However, Meta Platforms Inc. META, formerly known as Facebook, has primarily focused its smartwatch development on metaverse-related endeavors. 

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