Measuring levodopa-induced mobility changes in Parkinson’s disease: insights from the instrumented Timed Up and Go

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is among the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorders worldwide, affecting millions of individuals and leading to a gradual decline in nervous system function. This condition manifests through a combination of motor and non-motor symptoms. The standard and most widely used treatment for managing PD symptoms involves the administration of Levodopa, a precursor of dopamine, which helps to compensate for the progressive loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the brain. The clinical evaluation of PD primarily relies on standardized rating scales designed to quantify the severity and progression of the disorder. Among these, the MDS-UPDRS is the most widely adopted. To enhance the objectivity and precision of clinical evaluations, inertial wearable sensors are increasingly employed as supplementary tools. By integrating sensor-based data with traditional rating scales, clinicians can obtain a more detailed and quantitative understanding of disease progression. In addition to wearable sensors, the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test is commonly used as a simple and effective functional assessment of mobility and balance in PD individuals. For these reasons, the present thesis focuses on investigating the effects of Levodopa in individuals with PD by analysing their performance during the TUG test using inertial sensors. The study will specifically compare subject performance in the OFF and ON medication states and will include a temporal analysis showing the evolution of selected parameters according to Levodopa intake. Furthermore, sensor-derived measurements will be evaluated for their reliability and consistency with the corresponding MDS-UPDRS III scores. At the end, the results will also be compared with data from a Mobilise-D database of PD persons, as well as with values reported in the literature for healthy individuals, to highlight differences related to disease status and treatment effects.