Are you losing your sense of direction in middle age? Be warned: it could be a sign of Alzheimer’s disease

Health
By Liam

By Chris Pollard for the Daily Mail

Published: | Updated:

Losing your sense of direction in middle age can be a warning sign of Alzheimer’s disease, years before symptoms begin.

Researchers found that adults at risk for dementia due to genetic or lifestyle factors had impaired spatial navigation up to 25 years earlier.

They believe that testing a person’s ability to find their way using virtual reality could lead to a life-changing early diagnosis.

Dr. Coco Newton from University College London said: ‘Our results indicated that these types of changes in navigation behavior could represent the very first diagnostic signal in Alzheimer’s disease.

‘We are now taking these findings forward to develop a diagnostic clinical decision support tool for the NHS over the coming years, which is a completely new way of approaching diagnostics and will hopefully help people get a more timely and accurate diagnosis.’

Researchers found that people at greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease were selectively impaired in the navigation task

Risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease include a defective gene, family history of the condition, and low physical activity.

The study, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, tested the cognition and direction skills of 100 at-risk individuals aged 43 to 66.

Researchers found that people at greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease were selectively impaired in the navigation task, without impairment in other cognitive tests.

In addition to early diagnosis, it is hoped that the study can help scientists better understand the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Richard Oakley, from the Alzheimer’s Society, said the study offered “exciting” opportunities for the future.

He said: ‘One in three people born today will develop dementia, and early and accurate diagnosis is crucial for people to access the right support, plan for the future and receive appropriate treatment. to get.

‘Very early symptoms of dementia can be subtle and difficult to detect, but problems with navigation are thought to be some of the first changes in Alzheimer’s disease.

‘It will be exciting to see how this research can provide a way to detect disease-specific changes early and help people with dementia in the future.’

WHAT IS ALZHEIMER?

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain in which the buildup of abnormal proteins causes nerve cells to die.

This disrupts the transmitters that transmit messages and causes the brain to shrink.

More than 5 million people suffer from the disease in the US, where it is the sixth leading cause of death, and more than 1 million Britons suffer from it.

WHAT IS HAPPENING?

As brain cells die, the functions they provide are lost.

That includes memory, orientation and the ability to think and reason.

The progression of the disease is slow and gradual.

On average, patients live five to seven years after diagnosis, but some can live another ten to fifteen years.

EARLY SYMPTOMS:

  • Loss of short-term memory
  • Disorientation
  • Behavioral changes
  • Mood swings
  • Problems handling money or making a phone call

LATER SYMPTOMS:

  • Severe memory loss, forgetting close relatives, familiar objects or places
  • Becoming anxious and frustrated about the inability to understand the world, leading to aggressive behavior
  • Eventually you lose the ability to walk
  • May have problems eating
  • The majority will eventually need 24-hour care

Source: Alzheimer’s Association

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