Wearable devices, such as smartwatches, could help scientists better understand Parkinson’s disease and speed up the approval of new treatments, research suggests.

In a new study, an Apple Watch paired with an iPhone was able to detect changes in Parkinson’s disease symptoms over time in people in the early stages of the disease.

Researchers suggest that smartwatches and smartphones can passively monitor many disease symptoms, such as gait and tremors.

Additional information can be collected through tasks such as finger tapping and voice recording to measure speech-related symptoms.

Lead study author Jamie Adams, associate professor of neurology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, USA, said: “Digital measures hold promise for providing objective, sensitive real-world measures of Parkinson’s disease progression.

“This study shows that data generated by smartwatches and smartphones can remotely monitor and detect changes in multiple disease domains. These digital assessments could help assess the effectiveness of future therapies.”

She added: “This study brings us closer to meaningful digital measures for future use in Parkinson’s disease clinical trials, which could accelerate therapeutic development and enable faster treatment for our patients.”

In the new study, called WATCH-PD, researchers followed people with early-stage Parkinson’s disease for 12 months.

Patients with early Parkinson’s disease experienced significant decreases in gait measures, increases in tremors and modest changes in speech, data collected by the devices showed.

The smartwatch was able to detect a decrease in arm swing, a common feature of the disease, and activity in the form of daily steps.

The findings were published in the journal npj Parkinson’s Disease.