Speech patterns are being used to diagnose symptoms of Parkinson’s disease earlier than ever before, in a major breakthrough for tackling the condition.
Experts made the discovery after analysing hours of YouTube footage of celebrities with the disease – and it paves the way for much earlier treatment.
Neurologists, behavioural scientists and speech and language experts studied the voices of famous people including Sir Billy Connolly, Jeremy Paxman and Ozzy Osbourne, before and after they were diagnosed.
They were able to spot subtle but significant changes in speech patterns up to ten years before doctors identified Parkinson’s from listening to recordings of them.
Previous studies looked only at people not in the public eye – making before-and-after comparisons hard to monitor.
The discovery should also allow earlier interventions and treatments for people with the neurodegenerative disorder affecting about 150,000 people in the UK.
Sir Billy, 81, who was diagnosed in 2013, has described how he felt ‘encroached on’ by the ‘cruel disease’. While Paxman, 74, who stepped down from University Challenge in 2023 said: ‘Parkinson’s may not kill you, but it will make you wish you hadn’t been born.’
The research, from the John Hopkins University in the US, was published in the scientific journal Nature. It states: ‘Early detection offers benefits beyond diagnosis. With the emergence of neuroprotective medications, early treatment becomes imperative to manage the disease. The early phase presents a unique window for administering disease-modifying treatments sooner. ‘
Last night Katherine Fletcher, of Parkinson’s UK, said: ‘There is momentum gathering towards ways to detect Parkinson’s earlier. This research is being conducted in many forms, including looking at the movement of facial muscles, using eye tests and analysing speech.
‘This study offers interesting insights into how speech can change over time, many years before someone receives a diagnosis.’
Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s. It is the fastest growing condition of its type in the world and, although there are treatments to manage it, there is no known cure.
