Science discovers new symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease that appear in its early stages

Difficulty turning when walking could be an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a research team in… University College London.

Experts have used virtual reality to help screen for navigation errors among people showing early signs of the disease, in the hope of developing simple tests for the disease.

The study compared 31 healthy young adults with 36 healthy older people and 43 patients with mild cognitive impairment.

Mild cognitive impairment refers to the stage between the expected decline in memory and thinking that occurs with aging and the more severe decline of dementia.

Study details

The three groups of volunteers were asked to complete a task using virtual reality glasses.

They followed a route guided by numbered cones, consisting of two straight paths connected by a curve.

They then had to return to the starting position guided only by memory, and the task was performed repeatedly under three different conditions.

The analysis revealed that people with mild cognitive impairment consistently overestimate curves in the road, and show greater variability in their sense of direction.

According to one of the study’s authors, there is evidence that navigation problems are an important early sign of Alzheimer’s disease.

Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease is a chronic neurological condition that affects the central nervous system, resulting in a variety of motor and non-motor symptoms.

The disease is mainly characterized by the deterioration of dopamine-producing neurons in the brain.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter important for coordinating movements and communication between neurons.

The most common motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include:

• Comfort tremors
• bradykinesia (bradykinesia)
• Muscle stiffness
• Postural instability

Patients may also have difficulties with everyday tasks such as walking, speaking, writing, and performing fine movements.

In addition to motor symptoms, Parkinson’s disease can present with non-motor symptoms:

• depression
• anxiety
• Sleep disorders
• cold
• Loss of smell
• Memory problems

Although the exact cause of Parkinson’s disease is not completely understood, genetic and environmental factors play an important role in its development.

Historically, treatment has focused on relieving symptoms, often using medications that replenish dopamine in the brain.