Modeling and validation of wearable sensor-based gait parameters in Parkinson's disease patients with cognitive impairment.

BACKGROUND

Cognitive impairment is a common non-motor symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD) that significantly impacts patients' quality of life and disease progression. Despite its clinical importance, the underlying mechanisms linking motor and cognitive dysfunction in PD remain poorly understood. Wearable sensor technology offers an innovative approach to quantifying gait parameters and exploring their relationship with cognitive decline, providing a non-invasive, objective method to identify individuals at risk of cognitive impairment.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to develop and validate a diagnostic model using gait parameters derived from wearable sensors to predict cognitive impairment in PD patients. Additionally, it sought to integrate these findings with machine learning methods to enhance prediction accuracy.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted on early-to-mid-stage PD patients, with approximately 28.8% diagnosed with cognitive impairment. A total of 38 clinically relevant variables were collected, including demographic data, medical history, cognitive scale scores, and gait data captured by wearable sensors. Baseline comparisons, univariate, and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify independent risk factors for cognitive impairment. Selected variables were used to train and evaluate six machine-learning models. The models' predictive performance was comprehensively assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, area under the curve (AUC) values, decision curve analysis (DCA), calibration curves, precision-recall (PR) curves, and forest plots. Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) analysis was also employed to enable personalized risk assessment. Finally, correlations between cognitive scores (MoCA and MMSE) and key gait parameters were analyzed.

RESULTS

Among the 38 clinical variables, seven were identified as independent risk factors for cognitive impairment in PD, including Duration of PD, UPDRS-III score, Step Length, Walk speed, Stride time, Peak arm angular velocity, Peak angular velocity during steering. The logistic regression model demonstrated superior predictive performance (test set AUC: 0.957), outperforming other machine learning algorithms. SHAP analysis revealed that Step Length, UPDRS-III score, Duration of PD, and Peak angular velocity during steering were the most influential predictors in the logistic regression model. Additionally, correlation analysis showed a significant association between lower cognitive scores and deteriorating gait parameters.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the potential of gait parameters derived from wearable sensors as biomarkers for cognitive impairment in PD patients. It also underscores the intricate interplay between motor and cognitive dysfunction in PD. The integration of gait analysis with machine learning models, particularly logistic regression, provides a robust, non-invasive, and scalable approach for early identification and risk stratification of cognitive decline in PD. By leveraging wearable technology, this work paves the way for innovative diagnostic strategies to enhance clinical decision-making and improve patient outcomes.