Signal analysis for the hand grip evaluation in Parkinsonian patients

The present work is concerned with the problem of recording and analyzing biomedical data characterizing motor activities of the limbs in patients suffering from Parkinson´s disease. The aim of the paper is the individuation of suitable parameters useful for detecting subjects affected by Parkinson´s disease, revealing the state of the patient. So, a simple and inexpensive system that measures the force of palmar grip is presented and discussed and a suitable software protocol able to record and manage the acquired data is developed. Finally, some biomedical parameters have been identified, characterizing motor activities of limbs. The study of these parameters and the analysis of the correlations between the acquired data, permits us to extract useful information and details for objective evaluation of Parkinson pathology, taking into account the metrological characteristics of the used measurement system.