Alzheimer’s disease affects over 50 million people worldwide, bringing emotional and physical challenges to patients and their loved ones.
It is a progressive condition with no known cure, and its gradual onset makes early diagnosis difficult.
Researchers are now exploring a new way to detect the disease early using tiny microphones in earpieces.
A team from École de Technologie Supérieure and Dartmouth University presented their innovative work at the 187th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, held virtually from November 18 to 22, 2024.
Their research focuses on using “hearables,” which are earpieces equipped with sensitive in-ear microphones, to monitor subtle signs of Alzheimer’s.
One early sign of Alzheimer’s is a decline in motor control, which often shows up in the way a person’s eyes move.
Healthy eyes make quick, precise movements called saccades, which are like tiny twitches. However, in people with Alzheimer’s, these movements can become slower, less accurate, or delayed.
“Eye movements are fascinating because they are some of the most precise actions the body can perform. They require both sharp motor skills and good cognitive function,” explained researcher Arian Shamei.
Currently, spotting problems with eye movements requires special eye-tracking equipment. This technology is effective but not widely available to most people. That’s where hearables come in. These earpieces can capture vibrations in the eardrum caused by eye movements, offering a simpler, more accessible way to gather similar data.
“Our goal is to use hearables to develop health-monitoring algorithms capable of long-term and continuous disease detection,” said Miriam Boutros, one of the lead researchers.
This approach could help track changes in eye movement patterns over time, flagging potential issues that suggest Alzheimer’s or other neurological disorders.
To test the idea, the researchers are conducting experiments with volunteers. Participants use both hearables and traditional eye trackers. The team compares the data to see if the earpieces can reliably pick up signals linked to saccades and identify differences between healthy individuals and those showing early signs of Alzheimer’s.
The hope is that, in the future, this technology will allow for noninvasive, long-term monitoring of Alzheimer’s disease. It could also be adapted to detect other neurological conditions.
“Eventually, we aim to create devices that can distinguish between different diseases based on symptoms that can be tracked through in-ear signals,” said Shamei.
This groundbreaking research offers a glimpse into how advanced technology could make Alzheimer’s detection more accessible, giving patients and families valuable time to plan and seek treatment.
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