Parkinson's disease could be spotted years earlier by studying a simple voice recording

A team at MIT has developed a computer programme that is able to recognise the tremors, breathiness and weakness in the voice These symtpoms are thought to be early indicators of the degenerative condition Study leader Dr Max Little is building up a database of 10,000 voices to support his project

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 10:05 EST, 26 September 2012 | UPDATED: 12:28 EST, 26 September 2012

Leaving a simple phone message could help spot the early signs of Parkinsons years before serious symptoms develop, say scientists.

Researchers have discovered they can detect the disease through voice recordings with initial studies already showing a 99 per cent accuracy rate.

A team at Massachusetts Institute of Technology has developed a computer programme that is able to recognise the tremors, breathiness and weakness in the voice, which are thought to be early indicators of the condition.

The technology works partly by tracking the motion of the vocal cords and detecting any tremor

The voice analysis software can even provide an unprecedented level of detail that can distinguish how far along a patient is with the disease.

The Parkinsons Voice Initiative led by British scientist Dr Max Little, is looking to see if the same results can be repeated with voice recordings taken over the telephone.

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Parkinson's disease could be spotted years earlier by studying a simple voice recording