Home Department: undeclared
Mentor: Helen Bronte-Stewart (Neurology & Neurological Sciences)

“Using RAFT to Predict Parkinsonian Traits”

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects millions of people worldwide. Currently, scientists are trying to understand how symptoms like tremor change over time in PD patients. Repetitive alternating finger tapping (RAFT) is a technique where patients rapidly tap two keys back and forth on a keyboard for a certain amount of time. Guided by the Bronte-Stewart lab, Katie is analyzing data from RAFT to demonstrate how the kinematics of RAFT may correlate with the change or development of certain Parkinsonian traits, such as tremor or gait impairment, over time. This may help scientists predict the development of certain symptoms as the disease advances and worsens, as well as create and tailor personalized treatment plans for each unique, individual case.