Early Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s: It Starts With the Way You Walk

A recent study hints that individuals in the early stages of Alzheimer's may have difficulties with turning while walking. Health experts from University College London (UCL) used virtual reality in their research to pinpoint navigational mistakes made by those exhibiting initial indications of the condition , advancing the creation of simpler testing techniques.

The findings, detailed in Current Biology, saw comparisons drawn among three groups: 31 healthy young adults, 36 older adults without cognitive issues, and 43 patients with mild cognitive impairment. Participants were kitted out with virtual reality headsets, allowing for actual movement during the exercise.

Subjects in the Alzheimer's study were tasked to navigate a route characterized by numbered cones, following two straight paths linked by a turn, then asked to trace their steps back to the start without assistance beyond memory.

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Carried out under varying conditions, the task revealed that those with initial stage Alzheimer's consistently over-rotated at turns and showed more erratic direction judgment.

Lead researcher Dr. Andrea Castegnaro of the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience commented in 2023 upon concluding the study, highlighting navigation as a key early symptom of Alzheimer’s. "What we added here is that there are specific aspects in the navigation in Alzheimer's that are particularly disrupted," he stated, reports Surrey Live .

"In particular, we found out that individuals with early Alzheimer's consistently overestimated the turns on the given route and showed increased variability in their sense of direction. In other words, it seems that when you ask (people with mild cognitive impairment) with Alzheimer's to turn a certain amount, they think they have turned much more than they actually did.

Furthermore, by incorporating healthy seniors into our research, we discovered that these particular elements do not simply represent normal aging processes—wherein navigational skills typically decline—and instead appear more closely linked to Alzheimer’s disease specifically. Nonetheless, it should be noted that these conclusions stem from preliminary data, and ongoing efforts aim at validating these observations further.

Dr. Castegnaro disclosed, “Our research presents a novel approach for the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease through attention to particular navigation mistakes. Our next step is to create user-friendly assessments that can seamlessly fit within routine medical examinations, keeping in mind typical limitations like restricted areas and tight schedules.”

Dr. Leah Mursaleen, who leads research efforts at Alzheimer's Research UK, stated: "In the UK, approximately one million individuals are affected by Alzheimer’s disease; however, due to constraints within present diagnostic procedures, merely about 60 percent of these cases get officially diagnosed. Therefore, it becomes crucial for us to create advanced and highly accurate early detection strategies that can seamlessly integrate into healthcare networks such as the National Health Service (NHS)."

Dr. Mursaleen looked forward, highlighting the importance of this study, saying, "It will be crucial as we move into an era where dementia turns into a manageable condition. Owing to advancements in technology, numerous gadgets and platforms are under investigation to determine their capability in identifying early indicators of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s.

She elaborated on recent findings, saying, "This small, early-stage study looks at using a virtual reality environment to analyse the way people turn while walking. The results suggest this can detect differences in participants with early Alzheimer's disease."

However, Dr. Mursaleen also urged caution, pointing out that "However, as the group included fewer than 50 people, a larger study is needed to understand the future potential of this promising discovery. It will also be important to understand how digital technologies like this can be used in combination with other emerging techniques like blood tests, which are also showing huge promise for detecting Alzheimer's disease."

The Alzheimer's Society has highlighted the complexity of diagnosing dementia, emphasizing that symptoms can be elusive and hard to pin down initially. They noted: "Getting a diagnosis for dementia can be difficult for a multitude of reasons, and we know that very early symptoms can be subtle and hard to detect. However, problems with navigation are thought to be some of the earliest noticeable changes in Alzheimer's disease, so this is valuable insight. Though this technology is in its infancy and work is needed to improve its accuracy, it may offer a way to detect disease-specific brain changes in the early stages of dementia, potentially benefiting hundreds of thousands living with the condition in the future."