According to neuroscientists at the Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Bonn, Germany, people who have a high genetic risk of suffering from Alzheimer’s disease would present alterations in space navigation several decades before the first signs of the disease. According to their research published in the journal Science a test based on navigation in a virtual labyrinth would therefore make it possible to determine, from the age of 30, the people most at risk of brain degeneration.
A functional MRI measures brain activity during the test
German researchers recruited two groups of young adults without symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. One carried a variant of a gene called APOE, known to be a marker for Alzheimer’s disease, while the other group did not carry the gene. All were invited to navigate a virtual arena made up of a blue sky, a few mountains in the distance and a large area of grass on which were placed everyday objects. Test participants had to grab the virtual items during in-game navigation and return them to their original places later.
During the experiment, researchers followed each participant’s brain activity through a functional MRI, a procedure that measures brain activity based on blood flow.
The results show that the high-risk group navigated the maze differently and reduced the functioning of certain brain cells involved in space navigation.
“Our results could provide a new basic framework for preclinical research in Alzheimer’s disease and could provide a neurocognitive explanation for spatial disorientation in Alzheimer’s disease”, explained the researchers in the journal Science.
And you, would you do a test to find out if you are at risk for Alzheimer’s? Talk about it on our forum.
Read also :
One in three people will have dementia
Tell me how much you weigh at 50, I’ll tell you what your risk of Alzheimer’s
4 cardiovascular risk factors predict Alzheimer’s disease
