MASKED: Research to Detect Parkinson’s Disease
As part of its ongoing commitment to advancing interdisciplinary research with global impact, Webster Vienna Private University is proud to announce the participation of Dr. Marc Mehu, Head of the Psychology Department, in a major international research initiative aimed at improving the early diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.
The project, titled Motor Health and Semiotic Function in the Kinesthetic Expressivity of Neurodegenerative Disease (MASKED), is funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe Framework Programme through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions – Staff Exchanges initiative.
MASKED unites researchers from Europe and North America working at the intersection of biosemiotics, multimodal behavioral analysis, and social neuroscience. The consortium aims to develop a reliable, behavior-based assessment tool to support both the early detection and long-term monitoring of neurodegenerative diseases.
The study focuses particularly on hypomimia, a reduction in facial expressivity commonly observed in individuals with Parkinson’s disease. This phenomenon, often referred to as “facial masking,” reflects changes in motor and emotional functioning that may provide valuable diagnostic insights.
To this end, the research team combines advanced measurement technologies with established frameworks such as the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) and the Neuropsychological Gesture Coding System (NGCS), enhancing the precision of behavioral markers associated with motor health and expressive function.
“Understanding how neurodegenerative diseases alter the dynamics of nonverbal communication may open new pathways for early and non-invasive diagnosis,” said Mehu. “Our goal is to translate these findings into meaningful tools that can improve clinical assessment and patient care.”
The MASKED project exemplifies the growing interdisciplinary commitment within European research to bridge psychology, linguistics, and neuroscience in addressing complex health challenges.