Analysis of hand movements in patients with Parkinson’s Disease using Kinect

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's disease. It mainly affects the area of the brain that is responsible for the coordination of movements. The main symptoms that appear in Parkinson's disease are: resting tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, among others. Due to these symptoms and as the disease progresses in patients, it is difficult to perform daily activities and socialize with other people. The traditional system of evaluation of the disease is tedious due to the constant physical repetitions performed by the patient and its result is subject to the expertise of the specialist. To solve this problem, in the present work we have developed a system capable of analyzing hand movements based on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scale using finger tapping test, in patients with PD using the Kinect v2 device. Four patients with Parkinson's disease and two healthy patients were tested during six sessions; the results showed that 83.3% of the sample had lower velocity in the upper right extremity. A tendency analysis determined that 75% of patients with Parkinson's disease had a possible decrease in speed in one or both limbs. The system proved to be appropriate for tremor monitoring and is a tool to support the neurologist in its final diagnosis.