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Eye test may detect Alzheimer’s
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ANI : A simple eye test may
help combat Alzheimer's disease by detecting the sufferers well in advance of
the destruction caused by the killer brain disease, scientists claim.
Alzheimer's is an incurable condition and experts believe the key to tackling it
- and stopping it - lies in early detection.
Research led by Lancaster University - in partnership with Royal Preston
Hospital, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS foundation trust - has shown that
people with Alzheimer's have difficulty with one particular type of eye tracking
test, the Daily Express reported.
As part of the team's study, 18 patients with Alzheimer's, 25 patients with
Parkinson's, 17 healthy young people and 18 healthy older people were asked to
follow the movements of light on a computer. But in some instances they were
asked to look away from the light.
Detailed eye-tracking measurements taken from the group showed stark contrasts
in results.
Alzheimer's patients made errors when they were asked to look away from the
light and were unable to correct those errors.
This was despite them being able to respond perfectly normally when asked to
look towards the light.
These errors were 10 times more frequent in the Alzheimer's patients compared
with the control groups.
The researchers, whose study is published in the Journal of the American Ageing
Association, also measured memory function among Alzheimer's patients who found
the test difficult.
This revealed a clear correlation with lower memory function.
Dr Trevor Crawford, of the department of Psychology and the Centre for Ageing
Research at Lancaster University, said these new results were potentially very
exciting as they demonstrated, for the first time, a connection with the memory
impairment that is so often the first noticeable symptom in Alzheimer's disease.
"The diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is currently heavily dependent on the
results of a series of lengthy neuropsychological tests," he said.
"However, patients with a dementia often find that these tests are difficult to
complete due to a lack of clear understanding and lapse in their attention or
motivation.
"The light tracking test could play a vital role in diagnosis as it allows us to
identify and exclude alternative explanations of the test results," he added.
Alzheimer's disease is a devastating disorder, which starts many years before
the symptoms begin to appear.
A toxic protein in the brain called beta amyloid is a hallmark of the disease
and can build up for more than a decade before any outward signs of dementia
such as confusion or memory loss.
Dr Eric Karran, director of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, said: "This
study suggests eye-tracking tests could help to highlight memory problems in
Alzheimer's. While it is unlikely Alzheimer's could be diagnosed by a single eye
test, the findings could help expand the battery of tests currently needed for
diagnosis.
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