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Quick, Inexpensive Detection of Early Alzheimer's
January 23, 2008
POLL:
Is anyone in your family
affected by Alzheimer's?
A new, portable device called
DETECT developed by the
Georgia Institute of
Technology and
Emory University may
allow patients to take a brief, inexpensive test that could be administered as part of a routine
yearly checkup at a doctor's office to detect mild cognitive impairment (MCI)--often the earliest
stage of Alzheimer's. The device is expected to be commercialized later this year.
The latest medications can delay the onset of
Alzheimer's disease,
but none are able to reverse its devastating effects. This limitation often makes early detection
the key to Alzheimer's patients maintaining a good quality of life for as long as possible.
Current assessment tests capable of detecting early Alzheimer's typically are taken with a
pen and paper or at a computer terminal and last about an hour and a half and must be given by a
trained technician in a quiet environment because any distractions can influence the patient's
score and reduce the test's effectiveness. The tests are not used as regular screening tools and
typically are given only after there is obvious cognitive impairment such as forgetfulness or
unsafe behavior because of their length and expense
"Families usually wait until their mom or dad does something somewhat dangerous, like
forgetting to take their medications or getting lost, before bringing them in for testing. At that
point, the patient has already lost a significant portion of their cognitive function," says Dr.
David Wright in a press release, who helped develop the device and is assistant professor of
emergency medicine at Emory University School of Medicine and co-director of the Emory Emergency
Medicine Research Center. "With this device, we might be able to pick up impairment well before
those serious symptoms occur and start patients on medications that could delay those symptoms."
DETECT gives individuals a roughly
ten-minute test designed to gauge reaction time and memory--functions that, when impaired, are
associated with the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease. The test is a specially modified,
shortened version of the traditional pen and paper test and could be given repeatedly by doctors to
evaluate any changes in cognitive functions.
CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO OF
PORTABLE DEVICE
The portable test runs patients through a battery of visual and auditory stimuli such as
pictures and words that assess cognitive abilities relative to age, gauging reaction time and
memory capabilities. Its software can track cognitive capabilities--and decline--year to year
during annual appointments. And because the device blocks outside sound and light from the
patient's environment, it can be administered in virtually any setting, providing more consistent
results.
With millions of baby boomers easing into late adulthood, the number of patients with
Alzheimer's is expected to skyrocket over the next few decades. More than 24 million people
worldwide are currently thought to have Alzheimer's disease and by 2040, an estimated 81 million
people worldwide are expected to develop the disease.
