a day ago
Early signs of Parkinson's disease could be found in your ear
Researchers have developed a new system that could enable early detection of Parkinson's disease by analysing ear wax.
The method identifies specific volatile organic compounds in sebum, the main ingredient of ear wax, which are altered in individuals with Parkinson's.
Scientists swabbed the ear canals of 209 participants and identified four distinct compounds that serve as potential biomarkers for the condition.
An artificial intelligence olfactory system was trained with this data, achieving 94 per cent accuracy in categorising samples from individuals with and without Parkinson's.
This AI -powered system could serve as an inexpensive, first-line screening tool for Parkinson's, though further multi-centre research is needed.
