Virtual reality phone app could help spot Alzheimer's by testing patients' ability to navigate a computer-simulated world, research finds

  • Researchers believe they can detect Alzheimer’s disease through a VR test
  • Patients would have to wear a headset and navigate a course through a VR world 
  • They hope the findings will lead to an app which could help diagnose the disease

By Courtney Barlett For The Daily Mail

Published: | Updated:

Virtual reality will soon be able to help detect Alzheimer’s disease by asking patients to step into a computer-simulated world, research suggests.

Scientists believe they can better identify the disease its early stages using technology than with the current ‘gold standard’ cognitive tests currently used, The Times reported.

They hope the findings could one day help them develop a smartphone app that could help diagnose the disorder at home.

Scientists asked 45 patients with memory problems to take part, and collected cerebrospinal fluid samples to look for signs of Alzheimer¿s. Remarkably, the 12 who tested positive for biological markers of dementia performed much worse than those not at risk [File photo]

Scientists asked 45 patients with memory problems to take part, and collected cerebrospinal fluid samples to look for signs of Alzheimer’s. Remarkably, the 12 who tested positive for biological markers of dementia performed much worse than those not at risk [File photo]

Research from the University of Cambridge shows the new method can accurately distinguish Alzheimer’s in people with memory problems 90 per cent of the time.

This compares with 55 per cent for the current pen-and-paper tests.

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, affecting around 500,000 Britons. Scientists still have not nailed down what causes it and a cure is yet to be found.

The focus is on developing techniques which can catch the condition at an earlier stage. And the new method instead focuses on brain cells which act as our internal navigators.

Research from the University of Cambridge shows the new method can accurately distinguish Alzheimer¿s in people with memory problems 90 per cent of the time. This compares with 55per cent for the current pen-and-paper tests [File photo]

Research from the University of Cambridge shows the new method can accurately distinguish Alzheimer’s in people with memory problems 90 per cent of the time. This compares with 55per cent for the current pen-and-paper tests [File photo]

The brain’s entorhinal cortex is crucial in helping understand the disease. It is one of the first to be damaged in Alzheimer’s, which may explain why patients seem disoriented at the first instance.

The test involves the patient wearing a headset through which they spot a virtual reality world. They must then navigate a course, which requires the entorhinal cortex to be working.

Scientists asked 45 patients with memory problems to take part, and collected cerebrospinal fluid samples to look for signs of Alzheimer’s.

Remarkably, the 12 who tested positive for biological markers of dementia performed much worse than those not at risk.

‘These results suggest a VR test of navigation may be better at identifying early Alzheimer’s disease than tests we use at present,’ Dennis Chan, of Cambridge University, told The Times.

A smartphone app on a smartphone could track of your movements and could alert you if it noticed behavioural changes.

For instance, it could spot if you forgot to take an obvious short-cut to a destination. The app could also monitor sleep and communication for warning signs.

Dr Chan said: ‘We’re getting to the point where everyday tech can be used to spot the warning signs of the disease well before we become aware of them.

‘We live in a world where mobile devices are almost ubiquitous, and so app-based approaches have the potential to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease at minimal extra cost and at a scale way beyond that of brain scanning and other current diagnostic approaches.’ 

The results of the study are published today in the journal Brain.

Alzheimer¿s is the most common form of dementia, affecting around 500,000 Britons. Scientists still have not nailed down what causes it and a cure is yet to be found [File photo]

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, affecting around 500,000 Britons. Scientists still have not nailed down what causes it and a cure is yet to be found [File photo]

Alzheimer's Disease

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