Parkinson’s disease could be detected by listening to someone’s voice

Parkinson’s disease lacks a conclusive test, so it is generally diagnosed by assessing symptoms. But now, scientists have shown that AI models can identify signs of the condition in a person’s voice with more than 90 per cent accuracy, and possibly before the onset of any movement-related issues.

Parkinson’s is characterised by the proliferation of a misfolded form of a protein called alpha-synuclein. It has been suggested that tests could look for clumps of this protein in people’s spinal fluid or in skin biopsies.