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Doctors have cautioned that a cautionary sign of Alzheimer’s may manifest years, or even decades, prior to the onset of other symptoms.
The study indicates that an individual’s capacity for navigation may be an early indicator of disease, potentially predicting its onset years before symptoms manifest.
Recently, a study revealed that individuals who are susceptible to a particular disease may experience difficulty with spatial navigation before exhibiting issues with their other cognitive abilities, such as memory.
The results could potentially pave the way for creating a diagnostic tool to support the NHS in the future.
UCL researchers conducted a study using virtual reality to examine the navigational skills of 100 asymptomatic adults between the ages of 43 and 66. These participants were significantly younger than the typical age of onset for dementia. The task involved successfully navigating from one location to another and maintaining the chosen route.
Regardless of the reason, individuals with a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease showed impairment on the VR navigation task, but did not show impairment on other cognitive tests.
It was discovered by the researchers that there was a significant variance in performance based on gender, with men exhibiting impairment while women did not.
According to the experts, the results indicate that difficulties in understanding spatial navigation may arise many years, or even decades, before any other symptoms manifest.
Coco Newton, the primary researcher from UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, conducted the study while at the University of Cambridge. According to Newton, their findings suggest that alterations in navigational behavior could potentially serve as an initial indicator of Alzheimer’s disease in its earliest stages, before significant impairment is evident.
disease may include:
Some possible initial indicators of Alzheimer’s disease are:
,
Based on information from the National Health Service,
In the initial phases, the primary indication of Alzheimer’s disease is lapses in memory.
For instance, an individual experiencing early stages of Alzheimer’s may:
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Disregard any recent discussions or occurrences.
- misplace items
- forget the names of places and objects
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struggle to come up with the appropriate term
- ask questions repetitively
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exhibit impaired judgement or struggle with decision-making
- become less flexible and more hesitant to try new things
Everyone included in the research, who participated in the PREVENT-Dementia study – had a genetic or physical vulnerability to developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Possible rewording: This may have been caused by a genetic predisposition, a family history of Alzheimer’s, or lifestyle factors like sedentary habits.
Under the guidance of Professor Dennis Chan, the research utilized an examination created by Dr Andrea Castegnaro and Professor Neil Burgess. Participants were instructed to maneuver through a virtual setting while wearing VR headsets.
Dr. Newton stated that the team will use these findings to create a diagnostic tool for the NHS in the future. This new approach to diagnostics aims to provide people with quicker and more accurate diagnoses.
A researcher studies the brain activity of an individual with Alzheimer’s disease.
“This is especially crucial as we are seeing the development of anti-amyloid treatments for Alzheimer’s, which are believed to have the greatest impact in the initial stages of the disease.”
This also emphasizes the necessity for further research on how men and women may have different susceptibilities to Alzheimer’s disease. It stresses the significance of considering gender in both diagnosis and future treatment.
The study was conducted in partnership with the University of Cambridge, supported by both the Alzheimer’s Society and a research grant from MSD.
The research has been released in the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Journal from the Alzheimer’s Association.
Dr Richard Oakley, associate director of research and innovation at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “One in three people born today will go on to develop dementia, and early and accurate diagnosis of the diseases that cause the condition are vital for people to access the right support, plan for the future, and receive appropriate treatment.
The initial signs of dementia may be inconspicuous and challenging to notice, but issues with navigation are believed to be among the earliest indications of Alzheimer’s disease.
He stated, “Further effort is required to advance this technology, however, it will be fascinating to observe how this study could potentially detect disease-related alterations early on and aid individuals with dementia in the future.”
Source: independent.co.uk
