The new 3 -minute brain test detects the first signs of Alzheimer’s at home using EEG

A new brain wave test could detect the first signs of Alzheimer’s years before diagnosis – in just three minutes.

It is according to researchers from the University of Bath and the University of Bristol, who recently tested the new technology – called Fastball EEG – in patient houses.

The three -minute test records electrical activity in the brain while the person examines a series of images. It is designed to use signs of light cognitive impairment (MCI), which often precedes Alzheimer’s disease.

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Because the quick ball is a “passive” EEG test, it automatically resumes brain responses without obliging participants to answer questions or recall information.

This makes it less likely to be influenced by factors such as anxiety, education, culture or language, according to the study, Dr. George Stothart, a cognitive neuroscientist of the Department of Psychology of the University of Bath.

A new brain wave test could detect the first signs of Alzheimer’s years before diagnosis – in just three minutes. (istock)

“The rapid ball is sensitive to both pre-diagnosed Alzheimer’s disease and individuals at very high risk of developing it,” Stothart told Fox News Digital. “Above all, EEG data collection for the quick ball is quite possible in people’s houses, making it a practical tool for real use.”

In the trial, 53 patients with a light cognitive impairment and 54 healthy elderly adults were tested with the tool to assess their skills in memory. They were then noted after a year.

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MCI patients had brain responses related to “significantly reduced” memory compared to those without cognitive decline.

The results were published in the journal Brain Communications.

John Stennard, on the left, a healthy volunteer, passes the quick ball test at his home, with Dr. George Stothart from the University of Bath. (University of Bath)

“We were pleasantly surprised by the Test-Retest reliability in healthy elderly people,” said Stothart. “In the follow -up of one year, the measures remained stable, indicating that for healthy elderly people, the fast ball provides consistent results over time.”

According to Stothart, the main limitation is that researchers did not have biomarkers for participants with MCI due to cost and resources constraints.

“It might be useful to study how this technology could supplement other diagnostic methods.”

“However, our larger clinical validation studies in progress in the United Kingdom and the United States, each involving 1,000 patients, now include in-depth coverage of biomarkers,” he noted.

Hope is that the tool can be deployed for use in doctors’ offices, memory clinics or houses, helping to allow Alzheimer’s diagnostics earlier.

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This could allow patients to obtain access earlier to the keys to Alzheimer’s drugs, such as Donanemab and LecaneMab, which are the most effective in the progression of the disease, the researchers said.

“The patients themselves do not directly receive the results of the quick ball,” said Stothart. “Instead, results are provided to the clinician, who integrates them into a wider diagnostic assessment.”

The three -minute test records electrical activity in the brain while the person examines a series of images. It is designed to use signs of light cognitive impairment (MCI). (istock)

“Fastball is another precious tool that clinicians can choose to include in the context of their diagnostic battery.”

Christopher Weber, Ph.D., principal director of world science initiatives at the Alzheimer association in Chicago, said that this technology had potential as a non -invasive tool for detecting memory changes that could indicate the first stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

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“However, more research is needed before this can be considered for inclusion in the diagnostic toolbox for Alzheimer’s disease,” Weber, who was not involved in the study in Fox News Digital, told.

“This includes confirmation of these results in larger and more representative study populations, over longer periods, where tests are carried out to confirm that study participants have brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease.”

Hope is that the tool can be deployed for use in doctors’ offices, memory clinics or houses, helping to allow Alzheimer’s diagnostics earlier. (istock)

Weber also pointed out that this technology does not seem to determine the cause of memory loss.

“Consequently, it is not clear that the results of this test can mean about the risk of Alzheimer’s and / or your state of health,” he said. “Thus, even if this technology is proven with additional research, it is always likely that additional tests, by examining the biomarkers linked to the disease or the imagery of the brain, would also be necessary to clarify the treatment or risk reduction.”

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Despite the limits, Weber said that Fastball could prove to be precious for initial screening or to inform a patient’s conversations with his doctor.

“And it might be useful to study how this technology could complete other diagnostic methods, such as TEP analyzes, blood tests and” paper and “” “paper” cognitive evaluations, “he added.

TEP, blood tests and cognitive “paper and pencil” cognitive assessments are currently used to monitor the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. (istock)

Any future use of screening or home tests must be carried out in a “prudent and controlled manner,” said Weber.

He added: “When you consider tests related to Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, it is important to have a conversation with your health care provider to see if you are a candidate.”

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The study was funded by the Academy of Medical Sciences and supported by the charity of charity of dementia.