New research from Rutgers University in Newark suggests that simple video games might be able to detect Alzheimer’s disease years before symptoms appear—just as accurately as blood tests.
This breakthrough could lead to easier, cheaper, and noninvasive ways to screen for dementia, especially in communities with limited access to medical care.
The study, published in the journal Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy, comes from the Aging & Brain Health Alliance at Rutgers-Newark. Researchers there have been developing tools to spot early brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s before memory loss becomes noticeable.
Their latest video-game-based test appears to work as well as modern blood tests that detect Alzheimer’s biomarkers—substances in the blood that signal changes in the brain.
This is an exciting development for scientists and doctors. According to researchers, Alzheimer’s-related brain changes can begin 10 to 15 years before symptoms become clear.
If doctors can detect those early changes sooner, they may be able to help patients take action to slow the disease’s progress.
The new video game test could also help drug companies identify the right people to include in early-stage clinical trials, speeding up the development of new treatments.
The test itself is simple and noninvasive. Known as a “generalization task,” it measures how well someone can learn a rule involving colors and shapes and then apply it to new situations.
It doesn’t rely on memory or language skills, which means it could be used with people from many different backgrounds, including those with lower education levels or who speak different languages.
It can even be given online or on a laptop in a doctor’s office, making it more accessible to people who have trouble traveling to clinics.
In the recent study, 148 African American participants—all over 60 but showing no signs of dementia—completed the video game task, took standard thinking and memory tests, gave blood samples, and had brain scans.
The results showed that the video game was just as effective as the blood test at spotting early signs of Alzheimer’s risk.
This is especially important because African Americans are more than twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s compared to other groups, yet they are often underrepresented in dementia research.
The Rutgers team hopes their findings will help close this gap and lead to better brain health for all communities.
Dr. Mark Gluck, who leads the research lab, said that many current thinking tests used by doctors are outdated and only catch Alzheimer’s after it has already caused noticeable damage. These older tests also rely on skills that not everyone has, like being able to draw a clock or remember a long list of words.
The Rutgers video game test avoids these issues by focusing on basic thinking skills like recognizing patterns and adapting to new rules.
While there’s still no cure for Alzheimer’s, early detection gives people a chance to protect their brain health by making lifestyle changes or starting treatment early.
As co-author Bernadette A. Fausto explained, many people don’t realize the disease can begin silently. If they were warned earlier, they might take steps to delay its effects. The hope is that these new tools will help people do just that.
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