A few short years ago, no one would put these words together in a sentence, but amazingly, we can today. According to some researchers, virtual reality may be more effective at diagnosing Alzheimer’s than the traditional cognitive tests that have been used for decades. This is fascinating because medicine has considered cognitive testing the “Gold Standard” of diagnostics. How does virtual reality assist in diagnosis and why is it better than standard testing?
It’s About Getting Lost
As a young boy, I remember my grandfather, John, who had “senile dementia” which was commonly diagnosed in the 1970s, getting lost. He would leave the house and walk for miles and miles, but my grandmother wasn’t aware that he had left. My grandfather would wander so far from their home, he would become lost and the police would have to look for him and bring him home.
Today, we know that confusion, disorientation, wandering, elopement and simply getting lost are normal symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. The problem with traditional cognitive tests that are performed using a pen and paper, is that they don’t identify difficulties like navigating and environment. This is where virtual reality can help. In a study led by Dennis Chan, M.D., Ph.D., individuals diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment used a headset to navigate a simulated environment. As hypothesized, they had difficulties and performed poorly.
This study also revealed two important observations. First, those individuals with mild cognitive impairment and positive cerebrospinal fluid markers indicative of Alzheimer’s disease performed the virtual reality exercise worse than their counterparts with negative cerebrospinal fluid markers, who were at a lower risk of developing the disease. Second, the virtual reality exercise was better at differentiating between the low- and high-risk cognitive impairment participants, than traditional tests currently used to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease.
My Takeaway on Alzheimer’s Disease and Virtual Reality
As a gerontologist, I hope for better methods of early detection for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Catching it earlier can mean treating symptoms sooner, possibly delaying progression, and improving the quality of life. If this can be achieved through the use of virtual reality testing, than let’s replace the pen and paper evaluations with a good use of technology.
(NOTE: Interested in learning more about Memory Care & Dementia? Checkout my Memory Care & Dementia CEUs on CEU Academy and try a FREE CEU today!)
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