Researchers at the York University, Canada have found a simple and easy way to detect early onset of Alzheimer's disease.
The study team said that a simple assessment of thought-based movements can detect the risk of the Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia. The condition affects more than 5 million people in the United States and is the sixth leading cause of death in the country.
Researchers of the current study examined people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and those with a family history of Alzheimer's disease using a computerized test. They were compared with healthy people. The participants were tested on a dual screen laptop.
"We included a task which involved moving a computer mouse in the opposite direction of a visual target on the screen, requiring the person's brain to think before and during their hand movements. This is where we found the most pronounced difference between those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and family history group and the two control groups," Professor Lauren Sergio of the School of Kinesiology & Health Science, who lead the study, said in a university statement.
The findings revealed that almost 82 percent of participants in the test group had problems in finishing the task.
Researchers explained that delay or inaccuracy in performing the tasks show a disturbance in communication between frontal and parietal regions of the brain, indicating early stage neuropathology or unknown brain changes.
"In terms of being able to categorize the low Alzheimer's disease risk and the high Alzheimer's disease risk, we were able to do that quite well using these kinematic measures. This group had slower reaction time and movement time, as well as less accuracy and precision in their movements," said researcher Kara Hawkins.
She further clarified that the research does not predict who would develop the disease but instead shows existence of brain changes in people with MCI or a family history of the disease.
The findings have been published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
