A 3-Minute At-Home Test May Aid With Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease

Whenever scientists devise methods to detect Alzheimer's Disease years before clinical detection is typically possible, we collectively turn our attention in hope for a brighter, less painful future. Indeed, any time a test of some sort is identified that can detect early warning signs of Alzheimer's Disease, we are injected with optimism that the future of those who suffer from Alzheimer's Disease may be somewhat better.

Consider us once more hopeful for the future, given recent UK trials.

What about recent trials in the UK has scientists and researchers so hopeful for the future of Alzheimer's Disease detection? Are the trials coming to the U.S., or will this early detection test only be available in the UK?

Below, we explore the scientific response to a new early detection test, and why so many people are so excited about what this may portend for the future.

An at-home brainwave test (Fastball), it is reported by Newsweek, may support the early detection of "memory problems in people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)—a condition that can lead to Alzheimer's."

"We're missing the first 10 to 20 years of Alzheimer's with current diagnostic tools. Fastball offers a way to change that—detecting memory decline far earlier and more objectively, using a quick and passive test," study author George Stothart said.

The test is only three minutes long, per the Independent, and "records electrical activity in the brain while participants view a stream of images, [and] has been found to reliably identify memory problems."

Thankfully, the test will be made accessible to more people than ever before, as it can be done in the privacy of one's home, which the person may be limited for a variety of reasons.

"For the first time, researchers have shown the test can take place in patients’ homes as well as GP surgeries and memory clinics, which researchers say could be the key to addressing an 'urgent' need for lower-cost and more accessible screening," according to the Independent.

Furthermore, per the Independent, "Researchers described Fastball as a passive EEG (electroencephalogram) test, which uses sensors placed on the scalp to monitor the brain’s automatic responses to images without asking participants to follow instructions or recall information. They said this makes the test more accessible and objective than traditional memory tests."

The Fastball test was also studied in 2021, per Newsweek, and found to detect memory problems then.

"The long-term goal of the test would be to use it as a screening tool for over-55s, with more research needed to establish the most effective stage at which to take it. Candidates may be identified in primary care when they self-refer to their doctor about memory symptoms or in secondary care when they've been identified by their doctor and referred to a neurologist."

"Researchers found that those with amnestic MCI – when the main symptom is significant memory loss, such as forgetting appointments and recent conversations – showed significantly reduced responses to the Fastball test compared to healthy patients and those with non-amnestic MCI," per the Independent. "Researchers re-tested the group after one year and found Fastball “showed moderate to good test-retest reliability” in healthy older adults."