Orientation problems, at any age, should not be taken lightly. This is somewhat the conclusion of a new study conducted by researchers at University College London and presented by the Sun. Specifically, according to their research, some people with Alzheimer’s disease have trouble navigating in their forties, or about 25 years before symptoms appear. “Knowing this will hopefully help people make faster and more accurate diagnoses,” said study author Dr Coco Newton from UCL’s Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience.
To reach this conclusion, the scientists recruited 100 people between the ages of 43 and 65 who did not show any symptoms of Alzheimer’s but who showed more or less risk of developing the disease due to their family history, their genetics or their lifestyle. Equipped with virtual reality headsets, participants had to cross a field where three cones were placed. The latter disappeared when they reached him. The headsets then removed visual cues in the landscape and participants were tasked with returning to where the first cone was placed.
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Additional work is required
The results were clear. People with the most distress were at the highest risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. On the other hand, they had no problems on other cognitive tests, according to results published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia. This suggests that navigation problems may appear years or decades before other symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. “More work is needed to develop this technology, but it will be exciting to see how this research can help people with dementia in the future.”Dr. Coco Newton suggested raising another important point.
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As he explained, men also performed worse than women on the navigation test. “This highlights the importance of considering gender for diagnosis and future treatment“, he added. According to the WHO, with the aging of the world’s population, the number of people with dementia is expected to triple from 50 million currently to 152 million by 2050.
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