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Handwriting will be used to identify brain and CNS diseases
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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There are a huge number of people in the world suffering from diseases of the central nervous system and brain. Specialists are trying to develop not only new effective drugs that can, if not completely cure, then at least slow down the progression of the disease and improve the patient's quality of life, but also diagnostic methods for early detection of the disease, since everyone knows that the disease is easier to treat at an early stage.
At a research centre at the University of Cambridge, a team of specialists has developed a unique new way to detect the disease.
In the artificial intelligence research department, scientists have proposed using a special digital pen for diagnostics, which will determine the symptoms of the early development of a particular disease - for diagnostics, the patient simply needs to write any text with a digital pen.
It is worth noting that scientists have taken the already used method as a basis and improved it. Now patients with suspected brain or CNS diseases are offered to undergo a certain test, which includes the task of drawing a picture, for example, a clock with numbers arranged in a circle.
Based on the drawing, specialists determined the position of the hand with the pen during drawing, assessed the distortion of the lines, all this allowed them to assume the presence of hidden cognitive disorders. But, unfortunately, such tests have a significant drawback - low sensitivity and are not able to determine subtle neurological changes, which is extremely important in the early stages of the disease.
The specialists decided to fix the problem and took the Anoto Live Pen, which had already entered the market, and inserted a special video camera into it that determined the position of the pen and the sheet of paper. The camera shoots at a frequency of 80 frames per second. The pen is also equipped with special software that immediately detects even minor signs of the development of serious disorders in the functioning of the brain or central nervous system, which appear at the very beginning. The test model of the diagnostic pen includes a special digital pen that tracks the movements of the patient's hand, controls the smallest details of the drawing, determines the number of strokes and the time spent on thinking, as well as how finished the drawing is and whether there are any breaks or other irregularities.
The first test used the results of more than 2,000 tests, and scientists were able to accurately determine the onset of cognitive impairment.
But the final diagnosis is made by a specialist in any case, but doctors have already expressed their opinion about the digital pen. Experts noted that this diagnostic method is quite effective and accurate.
At this stage, a group of specialists is finishing work on the software and creating a more simplified version of the test model, and soon neurologists from various medical centers and hospitals will be able to use the diagnostic pen.
Diagnosing diseases such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's in the early stages will help provide timely assistance to patients and slow down the progression of the disease, thereby improving the quality of life of people with such a diagnosis in the future.
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