What does the keyboard have to do with brain disorders?
It can reveal problems related to motor functions
A group of scientists from the United States claim that the computer keyboard could prove to be a very useful tool in the fight against Parkinson's disease.
Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology believe that the way someone uses a keyboard can reveal a huge amount of information about their motor skills.
According to a report in the British newspaper Daily Mail, researchers are working on creating a special keyboard that will reveal to doctors whether someone has dysfunctional neurons, simply by analyzing the way they type.
In order to move any part of the body, the primary motor cortex of the brain sends signals through other areas of the brain, including the supplementary motor area, the cerebellum, and the basal ganglia.
These brain areas activate spinal neurons, which stimulate muscles to perform movements. However, many factors can affect the ability to move, including lack of sleep, which reduces dexterity.
In those suffering from Parkinson's disease, the cells that produce dopamine in the part of the brain called the substantia nigra are "killed", resulting in tremors, bradykinesia and difficulty walking.
Researchers from MIT have created an algorithm that shows how efficiently someone is hitting the keys on a keyboard.
For example, it can distinguish between a "tap" made during the night, when lack of sleep affects the person's motor skills, and a "tap" on the keyboard made when the person is fully rested.
This is achieved through the analysis of what is called "key hold time" - a way of measuring the duration of pressure on a key before it is released again.
The research is based on the hypothesis that "there could be hidden information in the way we type," explained Ian Butterworth, one of the researchers.
The research focuses on the effects of fatigue, but researchers say it could help diagnose conditions that affect motor functions, such as Parkinson's disease, much earlier than is currently possible.
Preliminary results of a study conducted on about two dozen Parkinson's patients show that the researchers' algorithm for analyzing the way they type can distinguish people with the disease from those without.
The research team is still working on creating a special application for smartphones, which could be used to collect similar information from mobile devices.
Source: newsbeast.gr
