Headband Detects Early Dementia Signs on Day 3: "Brainwave Pattern Analysis During Sleep"

Research from University of Colorado, USA
"More Time Needed Until Commercialization"

A study has found that a headband-shaped device that monitors brain waves during sleep can detect early signs of dementia.

On the 4th (local time), according to Medical News Today, Dr. Bryce McConnell, director of the Sleep Research Program at the University of Colorado Alzheimer's Disease and Cognitive Center, and his research team announced that a headband EEG device worn on the forehead can capture the earliest signs of Alzheimer's dementia.

The headband developed by the research team analyzes brain wave patterns during sleep to identify problems in the brain's memory components.

Headband-shaped EEG device.
[Image source=Medical News Today]

The research team had 205 adults wear the device and sleep for at least three nights. They then measured brain waves during sleep and analyzed whether they were associated with dementia markers such as abnormal neural proteins like beta-amyloid found in dementia patients.

As a result, the team identified characteristics of brain wave patterns associated with dementia markers. The researchers stated, "Changes in memory components appear several years before neurological problems occur in dementia," and that very early changes could be detected in brain waves during sleep.

The team also found these brain wave changes in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), an early stage before dementia.

[Image source=Pixabay]

However, it seems more time is needed before the developed headband can be commercialized. Dr. Kailand Cooper, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Irvine, pointed out, "Currently, the data is very limited," and compared it to "diagnosing sleep apnea based on a single night's recording."

Meanwhile, the study results were published in the latest issue of the Alzheimer's Association journal, Alzheimer's & Dementia.

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