The first warning sign of Alzheimer’s might surprise you
With more than 40,000 Alzheimer’s sufferers in New Zealand, it’s one of the biggest killers in the country. While, sadly, the disease has no cure, those who are aware of the signs can begin treatment immediately and possibly even slow its progression.
A recent study has discovered a new, early symptom of the disease which may come as a surprise to many – navigational issues. The research, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, found that problems with navigating new surroundings tend to appear even before memory loss.
The Washington University study looked at three groups of patients – those in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, those with early markers for the disease (“preclinical Alzheimer’s”), and a control group of healthy people. It was discovered that those with preclinical Alzheimer’s struggled much more than the other two groups to navigate their way around a computer maze and learning where objects were located.
"These findings suggest that the wayfinding difficulties experienced by people with preclinical Alzheimer's disease are in part related to trouble acquiring the environmental information,” one of the paper’s authors, Denise Head, told the Huffington Post.
It is believed that these navigational tests may be used in the future to help detect early stages of the illness.
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