Research Engineer Position at the University of Liège
Project title:
Development of a 3D measurement system for gait disorders characterization in Parkinson's disease
Project context:
This project aims to develop a 3D measurement system for the quantification of movement disorders in neurological patients. This system is expected to help in the diagnosis of the disease, to assess its evolution but also to measure the treatment effects. In Parkinson's disease (PD), neurologists use clinical scoring tools to quantify movement disorders. However, these scores are partly subjective as they can vary from one specialist to another. The medical community is therefore looking for a more objective scoring tool.
We are currently developing an accelerometer system to record and extract different movement features in Parkinsonian patients. Even if the first tests for simple tasks (finger tapping) are promising, the generalization to complex motor tasks such as walking is still required. The gait disorders in Parkinson's disease are indeed one of the major causes of disability and reduced quality of life for patients. PD patients have a slower gait, characterized by small steps, difficulties in initiating or stopping gait as well as gait asymmetries. Detecting small variations in walking can help to improve the diagnosis of the disease or to detect it earlier. However, to date, there are no validated clinical instruments or device that allow a full characterization of gait disturbances in PD.
Project objectives:
The aim of the work is to develop and validate the accelerometer system to allow a complete characterization of Parkinsonian gait. According to a preliminary study, many parameters can be extracted with this system to quantify these disorders. The task includes the development of methods for robust signal processing allowing reliable analyses of large population of patients, but also the validation of the measurements using a reference system. In particular, 3D measurements provided by the Laboratory of Human Movement Analysis, will be used as a reference. A comparison of the extracted features in healthy subjects and Parkinsonian patients from the accelerometers and the 3D motion analysis system will allow the development and the validation of the proposed system.
Job description and qualification requirements:
• One-year contract period, possibly from September 2011.
• The candidate will develop a biomedical multidisciplinary approach combining mechanics, electronics and signal processing.
• He will work with neurologists at the University Hospital.
• The candidate should hold a master degree and should preferably have a background in signal processing, electronics or computer sciences.
• Contacts:
- Profs. O. Brüls (o.bruls@ulg.ac.be) and V. Denoël (v.denoel@ulg.ac.be), Laboratory of Human Movement Analysis,
- Prof. J. Verly (jacques.verly@ulg.ac.be), Montefiore Institute.