Monitor Parkinson's disease via iParkinson

Not really, it's called the iTrem. Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) have developed an iPhone application that may enable people with Parkinson's disease and certain other neurological conditions to use the ubiquitous devices to collect data from their hand and arm tremors and relay the results to medical personnel.

They believe the app could replace the subjective tests that is being used now to assess the level of tremors, while potentially allowing more frequent patient monitoring without having to fork out expensive medical bills.

iTrem will first undergo a clinical study at Emory University and must receive any required approvals from the Food and Drug Administration. They expect it will be on the Apple Apps store later this year.

Principal project investigator, Brian Parise said, "We expect iTrem to be a very useful tool for patients and their caregivers," and Robert Delano, another GTRI research scientist added, "And as a downloadable application, it also promises to be convenient and cost-effective."

iTrem utilizes the iPhone's built-in accelerometer to collect data on patients wherever they are. The application will then track tremor information currently, and in the future will use simple puzzle games to record tremor data, which will then be processed and transmitted.

The researchers expect the clinical trial to show that data gathered by the program would allow physicians to remotely monitor the degree of disability, progression and medication response among patients with tremor-related conditions. In addition, iTrem offers a social function that allows people to share stories, pictures and data.