Neuropsychologists Vincent Koppelmans and Marit Ruitenberg have conducted pioneering research into using the rhythm of finger tapping as a possible biomarker for Alzheimer’s Disease.
Their study offers a promising pathway for early and cost-effective diagnosis, supplementing existing expensive and somewhat invasive diagnostic methods like PET and MRI scans.
The researchers from Leiden University and the University of Utah conducted computerized finger-tapping tests on three distinct groups:
47 healthy individuals, 27 people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), and 26 individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease. The tests were aimed at observing tapping speed, reaction time, and time intervals between taps.
Key Findings
Slower Reaction Times: Individuals with Alzheimer’s and MCI were found to have slower reaction times compared to healthy subjects.
Variable Tapping: There was more irregularity in the tapping patterns among the Alzheimer’s and MCI groups.
Hippocampal Size: A consistent relationship was found between the size of the hippocampus, a critical brain area for memory, and performance in the finger-tapping tests.
Machine Learning: A computer was able to correctly classify 70% of the individuals into their respective groups based on finger-tapping patterns. However, the accuracy was lower for people with MCI.
Implications for Early Screening and Diagnosis
The finger-tapping test could be a significant addition to existing diagnostic procedures for Alzheimer’s.
Koppelmans mentioned that while current diagnostic tests are effective, they are also expensive and somewhat invasive. In contrast, finger-tapping tests could be administered inexpensively in a primary care setting.
If poor performance is observed and combined with other symptoms, further diagnostic procedures like neuropsychological testing or PET scans could follow.
The Road Ahead
The research, set to be published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, is part of a broader effort focusing on the brain’s relationship with movement and disease.
Future work will aim to use machine learning to create profiles of different disease states, enhancing diagnostic accuracy.
Conclusion
This innovative study contributes to the field of Alzheimer’s research by revealing that finger-tapping patterns could be a potential biomarker for the disease.
While the test is not a standalone diagnostic tool, it offers a promising, accessible, and cost-effective method for early screening and could become an integral part of a multi-modal diagnostic approach for Alzheimer’s Disease.
If you care about Alzheimer’s, please read studies about the likely cause of Alzheimer’s disease , and new non-drug treatment that could help prevent Alzheimer’s.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about diet that may help prevent Alzheimer’s, and results showing some dementia cases could be prevented by changing these 12 things.
The research findings can be found in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
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