As of: April 8, 2024, 4:40 p.m
By: Judith Braun
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An app is intended to help with the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Those affected could check their memory performance via smartphone.
More and more people are suffering from dementia - and the trend is rising. Although there is currently no cure for the neurodegenerative disease, the earlier it is diagnosed, the easier it is to counteract the symptoms and delay the progression of the disease. According to information from the
Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth,
for example, medication can be used to alleviate symptoms in the early and middle stages of Alzheimer's. That is why Alzheimer's research focuses, among other things, on the development of new diagnostic options. Scientists are now investigating the effect of a memory test in which people can independently diagnose the first symptoms of Alzheimer's on their cell phone, as the
Ärzte Zeitung
reports.
Dementia: Memory test on smartphone reveals signs of Alzheimer's
A memory test on a smartphone could provide the first warning signs of Alzheimer's disease. © Rainer Berg/IMAGO
The
German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)
reports that mild cognitive impairments, which can be an indication of Alzheimer's disease, can be detected with high accuracy using special test tasks on the smartphone. This emerges from the results of a study by the DZNE, the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg and the US University of Wisconsin-Madison. Together with the Magdeburg company “neotiv”, which developed the special memory test, they examined its effectiveness. The study results were published in the journal
npj Digital Medicine
.
Around 200 women and men over 60 years old took part in the study. These included 97 people without cognitive impairments, 43 people with mild cognitive impairments and 59 participants with subjectively perceived but not measurable memory problems. The diagnosis was made using an already established procedure, which includes, among other things, memory and language tasks. At the same time, the test subjects used the “neotiv” app to carry out multiple memory tests with their own smartphones or tablets over a period of at least six weeks. Three types of memory tasks were used to target different areas of the brain that can be affected in different phases of Alzheimer's. The participants tested themselves using the app. They also always completed the tests wherever it was convenient for them.
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Study shows people could test themselves - possible risks of self-diagnosis
The results of the study show that the app can detect mild cognitive impairments with a high degree of accuracy. According to the study authors, identification is comparable or even higher than several other recently reported unsupervised or clinical and supervised digital cognitive tests. They also point out that the test could be used primarily in clinical studies and in healthcare. The study also showed that people are capable of carrying out tests on their own. However, the researchers do not define to what extent the tests could be used for self-diagnosis. The authors of the study also do not address the possible risks and consequences that could be associated with self-diagnosis without consulting a doctor.
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This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. It in no way replaces a visit to the doctor. Our editors are not allowed to answer individual questions about medical conditions.