Virtual reality can detect Alzheimer's disease better than 'gold standard' test, study finds

Alzheimer's disease can be detected through a virtual reality navigation test, scientists at Cambridge University have discovered.

Clinical trials suggest the new method is 90% accurate in differentiating between people who have Alzheimer's and those with poor memories, and is more precise than the 'gold standard' cognitive tests currently available, which are only 50% accurate at making the distinction.

The method sees patients don a virtual reality headset which presents them with a navigation task which they undertake in a stimulated environment.

The aim is to test the entorhinal cortex, an area of the brain responsible for navigation and one of the first parts to be damaged by Alzheimer's.

A team of scientists from the University of Cambridge, led by Dr Dennis Chan, recruited 45 patients with mild cognitive impairment – a possible indication of Alzheimer's or alternatively, the consequence of factors such as anxiety or ageing – to take part in the trials.

After the navigation task was completed, samples of cerebrospinal fluid were taken and examined for biomarkers of underlying Alzheimer's. 12 tested positive.

The results, published in Brain journal, revealed that those who tested positive for Alzheimer's performed worse in the test than those who didn't. Furthermore, it showed that the new method was more accurate than current gold standard tests.

"We know that Alzheimer's affects the brain long before symptoms become apparent," Dr Chan says. "We're getting to the point where everyday tech can be used to spot the warning signs of the disease well before we become aware of them."