Early signs of Parkinson’s disease could be found in your ear

• Researchers have developed a new system that could enable early detection of Parkinson's disease by analysing ear wax.
• The method identifies specific volatile organic compounds in sebum, the main ingredient of ear wax, which are altered in individuals with Parkinson's.
• Scientists swabbed the ear canals of 209 participants and identified four distinct compounds that serve as potential biomarkers for the condition.
• An artificial intelligence olfactory system was trained with this data, achieving 94 per cent accuracy in categorising samples from individuals with and without Parkinson's.
• This AI-powered system could serve as an inexpensive, first-line screening tool for Parkinson's, though further multi-centre research is needed.

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How your ear wax could tell you if you have Parkinson’s disease, according to experts