Researchers going to complete a new wearable headband that can detect early signs of Alzheimer’s disease. This new headband detects Alzheimer’s disease by analyzing brainwave patterns during sleep is nearing completion.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Washington University in St. Louis developed this Headband.
It uses electroencephalography (EEG) technology to identify memory reactivation patterns during deep sleep that are associated with the disease.
Unlike traditional methods that require visits to specialized sleep labs, the headband can wear at home. This makes it more accessible and affordable and could lead to the development of cost-effective. It is an easily wearable EEG device for monitoring brain health.
The study, published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, analyzed data from 205 older adults.
Researchers found that EEG readings can predict the presence of amyloid and tau proteins, which associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
“This digital biomarker effectively transforms any ordinary EEG headband into a tool for tracking brain health, capable of identifying potential indications of Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms become apparent,”
Brice McConnell, a neurology expert at UC and one of the senior authors of the study.
McConnell said the development could be a major breakthrough in the early detection and management of Alzheimer’s disease.
“This advancement could prove pivotal in identifying people who are at risk of developing the disease and providing them with interventions that could slow or prevent its progression,” he said.
The research team believes the development marks a promising step towards using wearable devices as digital biomarkers for disease detection.
They view their work as an initial step in converting sleep-related brainwaves into digital biomarkers. The development of this new headband is a huge step forward in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
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