A method to detect signs of Alzheimer's disease with a headband that can be worn at home while sleeping is developed
Since there is no complete cure for Alzheimer's disease, which causes cognitive impairment, it is important to identify the risk of developing the disease early and take preparation and mitigation measures. A research team from the University of Colorado, the University of Miami, and the University of Washington has developed a method to detect early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease cognitive impairment by monitoring brain wave patterns using an easily wearable headband-type electroencephalograph.
Mapping sleep's oscillatory events as a biomarker of Alzheimer's disease - Pulver - Alzheimer's & Dementia - Wiley Online Library
'A Fitness Tracker for Brain Health': Headband Seeks Early Signs of Alzheimer's During Sleep
https://news.cuanschutz.edu/news-stories/a-fitness-tracker-for-brain-health-how-a-headband-can-identify-early-signs-of-alzheimers-disease-in-your- sleep
Alzheimer's disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that causes a gradual decline in memory and thinking ability, eventually leading to a loss of cognitive ability to the point that it interferes with daily life. Although the development of therapeutic drugs has progressed in recent years, there is still no established treatment for Alzheimer's disease.
Therefore, the research team developed a tool that uses a ``familiar and scalable headband device'' to measure brain waves at home and detect cognitive impairment at an early stage.
The research team measured brain activity related to memory processing during sleep in 205 elderly people. Among them, they identified changes in brain wave patterns that appear to be associated with the accumulation of amyloid and tau proteins in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients. In addition, the research team claims that a phenomenon in which the intensity of an activity pattern decreases was correlated with the early symptoms of cognitive impairment.
Bliss McConnell, a clinical neurologist at the University of Colorado, said: ``Experiments show that abnormal levels of a protein are associated with reactivation of sleep memories, and brainwave patterns can be used to identify early symptoms.'' I was able to do it,” he said.
Headbands that can measure brain waves do not require special equipment and can be easily worn by anyone. ``This study proves the principle that brain waves during sleep can be viewed as digital biomarkers, and the next goal is to complete this process,'' McConnell said.
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