Clinicians and researchers alike use the UPDRS and the motor section in particular to follow the progression of a person's Parkinson's disease.
Scientific researchers use it to measure benefits from a given therapy in a more unified and accepted rating system.
For most patients, the "mentation, behavior and mood" scores increase later in the disease, but a subset exists for whom those symptoms develop early on.
[5] The revision became desirable after an MDS-sponsored Task Force on Rating Scales for Parkinson's Disease highlighted the limitations of the original UPDRS.
[6] Two major limitations include the lack of consistent anchor among subscales and the low emphasis on the nonmotor features of PD.