Home test to spot Alzheimer’s early
SAGE help spot early symptoms of cognitive issues such as early dementia or Alzheimer's disease
OTHERS :
Researchers in the US have developed the first at-home test that can help doctors spot early signs of Alzheimer’s disease—and it takes less than 15 minutes to complete. The Self-Administered Gerocognitive Examination (SAGE) test is a reliable tool for evaluating cognitive abilities, say researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in the US. They visited 45 community events, asking people to take a simple, self-administered test. Of the 1,047 people who took the pen-and-paper test, 28% were identified with cognitive impairment, says Douglas Scharre, whose team developed the test.
The test can also be taken at home by patients, who can then share the results with their physicians to help spot early symptoms of cognitive issues such as early dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, says Dr Scharre. Often physicians may not recognize subtle cognitive deficits during routine office visits, he says. “What we found was that this SAGE self-administered test correlated very well with detailed cognitive testing," adds Dr Scharre. “If we catch this cognitive change really early, then we can start potential treatments much earlier...," he adds.
While the test does not diagnose problems like Alzheimer’s, it does allow doctors to get a baseline of cognitive function in patients so they can follow them for these problems over time, says Dr Scharre. The study has been published in The Journal of Neuropsychiatry And Clinical Neurosciences. PTI
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