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Nov 14, 2023

AI reveals ability to detect Alzheimer’s in early stages – Ceará Agora • The Most Important News from Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil Home » Health » AI reveals ability to detect Alzheimer’s in early stages – Ceará Agora • The Most Important News from Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil byarchywordys No Comments With the arrival on the market of specific medicines for the treatment of mild Alzheimer’s, early diagnosis of the disease, for which there is no cure, becomes more urgent. With a slow and silent development, the neurodegenerative disease begins around 20 years before the appearance of the classic symptom, severe memory loss. Now, technology appears as an ally of new research that seeks to identify signs manifested even before this, expanding the therapeutic window and, consequently, postponing cognitive decline. An article recently published in the journal Currenty Biology demonstrated that people with early-stage Alzheimer’s have greater difficulty with spatial navigation. The study, from University College London (UCL), in England, used virtual reality and artificial intelligence analysis to detect signals that may go unnoticed naturally. The participants — 31 young people and 36 healthy elderly people, as well as 43 patients with mild cognitive problems — used the device while following a path guided by numbered cones. The path consisted of two straight streets, connected by a curve. They then had to return to their starting position without guidance. The task was performed under three different environmental conditions to emphasize the participant’s navigation skills. First, in an unchanged virtual environment; then, with the terrain details replaced by a flat texture; and, finally, the temporary removal of all landmarks from the virtual reality world. Variability The researchers found that people with early-onset Alzheimer’s overestimated curves on the route and showed greater variability in their sense of direction. These specific difficulties were not observed in healthy older participants or in volunteers with mild cognitive impairment who had no other symptoms of the disease. According to the study’s lead author, Andrea Castegnaro, from the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, the result suggests that these navigation errors are specific to Alzheimer’s disease — and not a consequence of healthy aging or general cognitive decline — and could help with diagnosis. “Our findings offer a new avenue for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease by focusing on specific navigation errors,” he says. While acknowledging that more research is needed to confirm the initial findings, Castegnaro says the team’s goal is to develop practical tests that can be easily integrated into clinical settings, considering constraints such as limited space and time. According to him, traditional navigation tests generally require complicated prerequisites to be incorporated on an outpatient basis. “Our research focuses on specific aspects of navigation that are more adaptable to these restrictions”, says the researcher. “We are designing these tests to be rapid and comprehensive, to collect enough data for a reliable diagnosis in a time-efficient manner, thereby increasing the likelihood of their widespread adoption.” Crucial Early diagnosis is crucial for the most effective treatment of the disease, recalls Castegnaro. The expert explains that, despite recent advances in blood tests to detect levels of tau and amyloid proteins — potential Alzheimer’s biomarkers — these tests may not be sufficient alone. “Cognitive assessments are still needed to understand when cognitive impairments first develop, and when it comes to existing spatial memory tests used in clinics, these often rely on verbal competence. Our tests aim to offer a more practical tool that does not depend on language or cultural background.” Tara Spires-Jones, president of the British Neuroscience Association and professor at the UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Edinburgh, highlights that although the work has some limitations — starting with the small number of participants — the results are promising. . “It’s an interesting study because it helps scientists understand the early changes in brain function caused by Alzheimer’s disease.”