Scientists have designed a new cognitive test that diagnoses patients more accurately with Alzheimer's.
The digital test times how long it takes patients to remember objects and make word associations, giving doctors a more detailed picture than the pen and paper memory test currently available.
Researchers at Lund University in Sweden designed a new self administered test to be used as a first step in the investigation process for Alzheimer's disease.
It asks the patient if they can remember 10 random words, what day and year it is and if they can recognise the 10 words previously memorised when placed among 30 words.
Patients are also judged on how quickly they are able to process information and if they can recall previous information given to them in the test - it also times how quickly patients can tap the correct answer on the screen.
“Primary care does not have the resources, time or specialist knowledge to investigate possible Alzheimer's disease in the same way as specialised memory clinics. And this is where a digital cognitive test can make the biggest difference,” says Oskar Hansson, professor of neurology at Lund University.
Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, it can cause memory problems, trouble with speech and language and changes in mood.
It’s usually diagnosed using blood tests to rule out other illnesses as well as memory, thinking, and pen and paper tasks to check how different areas of the brain are functioning. This can include asking patients to draw a clock, make word associations and name everyday objects.
Alzheimer’s disease is linked to the build-up of the proteins amyloid and tau in the brain – both causing brain cells to die leading to the onset of dementia symptoms.
However blood tests that look for tau and amyloid are rarely available on the NHS.
“Our new digital test provides a first objective picture – at an earlier stage and with greater precision – of which patients have cognitive impairment indicative of Alzheimer's disease. This indicates who should proceed with the blood test that measures the level of phosphorylated tau and is able to detect Alzheimer's pathology in the brain with high accuracy,” said Pontus Tideman, doctoral student in the research group, clinical memory research at Lund University.
The researchers believe that the digital tool, which has been tested on patients, could be of great benefit, as it is currently very challenging to diagnose Alzheimer's disease during a 15 to 20-minute patient encounter.
“Combining the results of the digital test and the blood test increases the accuracy of diagnosing Alzheimer's disease. The purpose of the test is to make things easier for primary care doctors,” said Linda Karlsson, doctoral student in the research group, Clinical Memory Research at Lund University.
Research commissioned by Alzheimer’s Society shows that around a million people in the UK have a form of dementia. By 2040, it’s thought 1.4 million people will be living with the condition in the UK.
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