The test relies on recording the brain’s electrical activity through sensors on the scalp while viewing sequential images. Experiments on 52 patients with cognitive impairment and 54 healthy individuals showed that it is capable of identifying groups most at risk for Alzheimer’s.
Scientists hope that this low-cost examination will facilitate early diagnosis, allowing patients to benefit from new treatments like ‘Lecanemab’ and ‘Donanemab,’ which are more effective in the early stages of the disease, according to the study published in ‘Brain Communications.’
Although the results do not definitively determine who will develop Alzheimer’s, experts believe that broader studies may prove its effectiveness as a predictive tool, especially with the possibility of conducting it at home to reduce anxiety and facilitate access to diagnosis.
The Alzheimer’s Society estimates the number of dementia sufferers in the UK at about 982,000 people, with more than a third yet to receive a diagnosis, and the number is expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040.
