Medical Device Technology for Alzheimer’s Diseases
Reporter: Danielle Smolyar
Alzheimer’s disease is said to be caused by a large number of proteins that are overproduced around a brain cell. Alzheimer’s is an irreversible disease that overtime decreases a person’s memory and the ability to perform tasks. With this disease, it is hard to function day to day life because it is hard to take on simple daily tasks or activities. It is a powerful and advanced disease that has not yet been found a cure. There have been many trials and scientists and researchers are still trying to figure out and find a cure for this disease because so many people, unfortunately, suffer from it.
This acute disease has no cure yet. In an article titled, World Alzheimer’s Month: Exploring the latest research and devices for early detection, According to the Alzheimer’s Association,
“an estimated 5.3 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease. By 2025, that number is expected to increase to more than seven million. Doctors diagnose dementia in around 10 million people every year, and 60–70% of these new diagnoses detect Alzheimer’s disease.”
The reality of the disease is tragic and the fact that the numbers keep growing calls for more urgency to find a cure and help innocent people fight off this disease. With society’s new technological and medical advancements, researchers have been working on finding a cure or developing a medical device to help people with Alzheimer’s. The article also states, ”Dr. Thom Wilcockson, from the UK’s Loughborough University, found that
eye-tracking technology could help identify mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in patients who might go on to develop Alzheimer’s disease in the future.”
With this technology and how advanced our society is, technology could eventually find a cure. With this device, it can help and make a considerable change in the number of people who develop Alzheimer’s. This new tool could help people prepare for the sickness or prevent future conditions from getting worse. Ultimately, if we have this technology, it can teach the world and educate the world on this condition and how we can take strides into preventing it from happening.
Dr. Thom Wilcosckon stated that looking for MCI can be a benchmark or sign for doctors to look for early development of Alzheimer’s:
Dr. Wilcockson and the research team worked with 42 patients with a diagnosis of aMCI, 47 with a diagnosis of naMCI, 68 people with dementia caused due to Alzheimer’s disease, and 92 healthy controls as part of their study. During the study, the participants were instructed to complete antisaccade tasks that are simple computer test where participants are told to look away from a distractor stimulus. The researchers found that they were able to differentiate between the two forms of MCI by looking at the eye-tracking results.
This modern technique of being able to pinpoint a specific aspect that would differentiate patients and their sicknesses from one another can cause a massive shift in the Alzheimer’s world. One step at a time, doctors, scientists, and researches are learning more about Alzheimers and are inching closer to hopefully finding a cure in the near future.
SOURCES:
World Alzheimer’s Month: Exploring latest research and devices for early detection
World Alzheimer’s Month: Exploring latest research and devices for early detection
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/alzheimers-disease/causes/
https://www.nsmedicaldevices.com/news/world-alzheimers-month-medical-devices/
Other related articles published on this Open Access Online Scientific Journal include the following:
Alzheimer’s Disease: Novel Therapeutical Approaches — Articles of Note @PharmaceuticalIntelligence.com
Curators: Larry H. Bernstein, MD, FCAP and Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN
More …
Role of infectious agent in Alzheimer’s Disease?
Alzheimer’s disease, snake venome, amyloid and transthyretin
Alzheimer’s Disease – tau art thou, or amyloid
Breakthrough Prize for Alzheimer’s Disease 2016
Tau and IGF1 in Alzheimer’s Disease
Amyloid and Alzheimer’s Disease
Important Lead in Alzheimer’s Disease Model
BACE1 Inhibition role played in the underlying Pathology of Alzheimer’s Disease
Late Onset of Alzheimer’s Disease and One-carbon Metabolism
Alzheimer’s Disease Conundrum – Are We Near the End of the Puzzle?
New Alzheimer’s Protein – AICD
Introduction to Nanotechnology and Alzheimer disease
New ADNI Project to Perform Whole-genome Sequencing of Alzheimer’s Patients,
Serum Folate and Homocysteine, Mood Disorders, and Aging
Retromer in neurological disorders
Neurovascular pathways to neurodegeneration
Studying Alzheimer’s biomarkers in Down syndrome
Amyloid-Targeting Immunotherapy Targeting Neuropathologies with GSK33 Inhibitor
Sleep quality, amyloid and cognitive decline
microglia and brain maintenance
Notable Papers in Neurosciences
New Molecules to reduce Alzheimer’s and Dementia risk in Diabetic patients
The Alzheimer Scene around the Web
MRI Cortical Thickness Biomarker Predicts AD-like CSF and Cognitive Decline in Normal Adults
Leave a Reply