NeuroSketch
Research & Sources

The Science Behind NeuroSketch

NeuroSketch implements validated clinical screening methods for Parkinson's disease using hand-drawn motor tasks. Below are key references and resources for deeper reading.

How Screening Works

Archimedes Spiral Test

The patient traces a pre-drawn Archimedes spiral as accurately as possible. We capture (x, y, t) coordinates at high resolution and compute:

  • Radial deviation from the ideal spiral path
  • Speed variance and drawing consistency
  • High-frequency tremor components (4–6 Hz band)
  • Total drawing time and sample density

Sinusoidal Wave Test

The patient follows a sinusoidal guide wave from left to right. This captures lateral motor control and measures:

  • Amplitude deviation from the reference wave
  • Frequency stability and consistency
  • Velocity profile across the trace
  • Jerk (rate of acceleration change) — a bradykinesia marker

Clinical Research

Zham P et al.. Efficacy of guided and unguided spiral drawing in assessing motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

IEEE EMBC. 2017

Compared guided vs. unguided spiral drawing tasks in PD patients. Found that guided spirals (tracing a template) provide more sensitive motor impairment measures than free-form drawing.

External Resources

Parkinson's Foundation — Understanding Parkinson's Disease

Comprehensive patient-facing overview of PD symptoms, progression, treatment options, and caregiver resources.

NIH NINDS — Parkinson's Disease Information Page

National Institutes of Health factsheet covering epidemiology, pathology, current research trials, and treatment guidelines.

Michael J. Fox Foundation — Parkinson's 101

Educational primer from the leading PD research funding organization, including their biomarker discovery initiatives.

Movement Disorder Society — UPDRS

The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) — the gold-standard clinical assessment framework that NeuroSketch's metrics are modeled after.

Start Screening

Both tests take under a minute. All processing happens locally in your browser — no data leaves your device.