BLOOD TEST BOOST FOR PARKINSON'S

AI could help predict disease seven years before symptoms appear

- MARTIN BAGOT

A SIMPLE blood test could predict Parkinson’s disease seven years before symptoms appear, a study suggests.

Researchers believe early prediction and diagnosis would help in finding treatments that could slow or stop Parkinson’s.

The test uses artificial intelligence to predict the disease, which is caused by the death of nerve cells in the part of the brain that controls movement.

When these cells die or become impaired, they lose the ability to create a chemical called dopamine.