Research Article

Optimizing Speech-Based Parkinson’s Diagnosis with Hybrid Feature Selection and Machine Learning

Volume: 11 Number: 1 June 26, 2026
TR EN

Optimizing Speech-Based Parkinson’s Diagnosis with Hybrid Feature Selection and Machine Learning

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurological disorder that causes cognitive and motor impairments, including speech and gait abnormalities. Medication is often used to treat symptoms, but a cure is still elusive. Effective disease management depends on early detection. This study employs ML approaches, including K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and Naive Bayes (NB), to distinguish between individuals with PD and healthy controls based on voice signal characteristics. To enhance classification performance, multiple feature selection techniques were applied, including filter-based methods (correlation analysis, Analysis of Variance [ANOVA]), wrapper-based approaches such as Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE), embedded models including Random Forest (RF) and XGBoost importance, and a Genetic Algorithm (GA). Furthermore, a novel hybrid method was proposed by combining GA and XGBoost feature importance to identify the most relevant features. The models were trained and tested using standard preprocessing techniques such as feature scaling and RandomOverSampler to address class imbalance. Experimental results demonstrate that the hybrid feature selection method significantly improved classification accuracy. Using rigorous 10-Fold Stratified Cross-Validation, the proposed method achieved a robust mean accuracy of 92.74% (XGBoost) and a geometric mean of 91.13% (KNN). These findings suggest that integrating evolutionary and model-driven feature selection can significantly enhance the diagnosis of PD, providing a promising approach for voice-based medical decision support systems.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

The authors declare that no financial support was received for the research, authorship, or publication of this study

Ethical Statement

The authors declare that this study does not require any ethics committee approval or special permission.

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Software Engineering (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

June 26, 2026

Submission Date

October 31, 2025

Acceptance Date

April 17, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 11 Number: 1

APA
Saemi, S., & Özkök, F. Ö. (2026). Optimizing Speech-Based Parkinson’s Diagnosis with Hybrid Feature Selection and Machine Learning. Sinop Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Dergisi, 11(1), 321-341. https://doi.org/10.33484/sinopfbd.1814140
AMA
1.Saemi S, Özkök FÖ. Optimizing Speech-Based Parkinson’s Diagnosis with Hybrid Feature Selection and Machine Learning. Sinop Uni J Nat Sci. 2026;11(1):321-341. doi:10.33484/sinopfbd.1814140
Chicago
Saemi, Setayesh, and Fatma Özge Özkök. 2026. “Optimizing Speech-Based Parkinson’s Diagnosis With Hybrid Feature Selection and Machine Learning”. Sinop Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Dergisi 11 (1): 321-41. https://doi.org/10.33484/sinopfbd.1814140.
EndNote
Saemi S, Özkök FÖ (June 1, 2026) Optimizing Speech-Based Parkinson’s Diagnosis with Hybrid Feature Selection and Machine Learning. Sinop Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Dergisi 11 1 321–341.
IEEE
[1]S. Saemi and F. Ö. Özkök, “Optimizing Speech-Based Parkinson’s Diagnosis with Hybrid Feature Selection and Machine Learning”, Sinop Uni J Nat Sci, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 321–341, June 2026, doi: 10.33484/sinopfbd.1814140.
ISNAD
Saemi, Setayesh - Özkök, Fatma Özge. “Optimizing Speech-Based Parkinson’s Diagnosis With Hybrid Feature Selection and Machine Learning”. Sinop Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Dergisi 11/1 (June 1, 2026): 321-341. https://doi.org/10.33484/sinopfbd.1814140.
JAMA
1.Saemi S, Özkök FÖ. Optimizing Speech-Based Parkinson’s Diagnosis with Hybrid Feature Selection and Machine Learning. Sinop Uni J Nat Sci. 2026;11:321–341.
MLA
Saemi, Setayesh, and Fatma Özge Özkök. “Optimizing Speech-Based Parkinson’s Diagnosis With Hybrid Feature Selection and Machine Learning”. Sinop Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Dergisi, vol. 11, no. 1, June 2026, pp. 321-4, doi:10.33484/sinopfbd.1814140.
Vancouver
1.Setayesh Saemi, Fatma Özge Özkök. Optimizing Speech-Based Parkinson’s Diagnosis with Hybrid Feature Selection and Machine Learning. Sinop Uni J Nat Sci. 2026 Jun. 1;11(1):321-4. doi:10.33484/sinopfbd.1814140


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