How early Alzheimer’s may first show in walking and navigation

Dementia is a common and disabling disease that affects the brain. The number of people with dementia is growing worldwide and is expected to triple by 2050. There are currently over 55 million people with dementia worldwide, and nearly 10 million new cases of dementia develop each year. Now, dementia is a broad term describing a decline in cognitive abilities that encompasses various causes, including Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, among others. Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder that gradually destroys memory and thinking skills. It’s the most common type of dementia in older adults.
It is a progressive disease that destroys important mental functions. In this disease, brain cell connections and the cells themselves degenerate and die, eventually destroying memory and other important mental functions. The main symptoms of Alzheimer’s are memory loss and confusion.

Although there’s no proper cure for Alzheimer’s, prevention is possible. However, it’s the spotting of early signs of the disease that helps in preventing the disease with an early diagnosis and treatment.
A study sheds some light on the early signs of the disease, which can lead to an early diagnosis.
Read on to know more.

What does the study say?

The study, published in Current Biology, indicates that individuals in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease may have difficulty with turning while walking, issuing guidance as the illness appears to be on the rise.
Researchers from University College London (UCL) employed virtual reality to identify navigational mishaps in people exhibiting early symptoms of the disease, to create simple diagnostic tests.

The study has provided new insights into the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, focusing on navigation difficulties as a significant indicator. The research involved three groups: 31 young healthy participants, 36 healthy older adults, and 43 patients diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. Utilizing virtual reality headsets, participants navigated a path marked with numbered cones, which included two straight segments connected by a turn, eventually returning to their starting point without guidance.
The participants undertook this task under three distinct scenarios, and the results indicated that individuals with early-stage Alzheimer’s tended to overestimate the angles of turns and displayed greater inconsistency in their directional orientation. Dr. Andrea Castegnaro from the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, an author of the study, noted that navigational difficulties are a prominent early symptom of Alzheimer’s, stating, “What we added here is that there are specific aspects in navigation in Alzheimer’s that are particularly disrupted.”

What are the findings?

The study found that individuals with early Alzheimer’s consistently overestimated the necessary turns and exhibited variable senses of direction. This distinction is crucial, as the researchers contrasted these findings with those of healthy older adults. They determined that these navigational challenges are not simply exaggerated symptoms of the natural aging process but appear to be specific to Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Castegnaro emphasized the potential for these findings to enhance early diagnostic methods for Alzheimer’s, suggesting the development of practical tests that could easily fit into clinical settings, accommodating the constraints related to space and time.

The experts’ take:

Dr. Leah Mursaleen from Alzheimer’s Research UK underscored the pressing need for improved diagnostic approaches, highlighting that in the UK, nearly one million people live with Alzheimer’s, yet only about 60% receive an official diagnosis due to shortcomings in current detection methods. She expressed the importance of developing more precise early detection techniques that can be seamlessly implemented within healthcare systems, such as the NHS. The introduction of advanced technologies holds promise in enabling the identification of early signs of neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Commenting on the study, Dr. Mursaleen acknowledged the significance of applying virtual reality environments to assess navigational behavior: “These results suggest this method can differentiate between participants with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.” However, she cautioned that the small sample size—less than 50 participants—necessitates larger studies to fully understand the potential of these findings and how digital technologies may complement other emerging diagnostic techniques, such as blood tests.

The Alzheimer’s Society highlighted the complexities involved in early dementia detection, noting that initial symptoms can be subtle and challenging to identify. Nonetheless, they recognized navigation problems as among the earliest detectable changes in Alzheimer’s, making this research particularly valuable. While acknowledging that this technology is still in its early stages and requires further refinement, the Society sees it as a promising approach to identifying disease-specific brain changes in the early stages of dementia, potentially benefiting many individuals living with the condition in the future.