Ein dreiminütiger Gehirnwellentest kann Gedächtnisprobleme erkennen, die mit der Alzheimer-Krankheit verbunden sind, lange bevor Menschen normalerweise diagnostiziert werden, und die Hoffnung, dass der Ansatz dazu beitragen könnte, diejenigen zu identifizieren, die am wahrscheinlichsten von neuen Medikamenten für die Erkrankung profitieren.

I’ve linked to the news release in the post above. In this comment, for those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://academic.oup.com/braincomms/article/7/5/fcaf279/8244619

From the linked article:

**A three-minute brainwave test can detect memory problems linked to Alzheimer’s disease long before people are typically diagnosed, raising hopes that the approach could help identify those most likely to benefit from new drugs for the condition.**

The Fastball test is a form of electroencephalogram (EEG) that uses small sensors on the scalp to record the brain’s electrical activity while people watch a stream of images on a screen. The test detects memory problems by analysing the brain’s automatic responses to images the person sees before the test.

The scientists found that those with amnestic MCI, which largely affects a person’s memory for objects, had reduced responses to the test compared with healthy adults and those with non-amnestic MCI. People with amnestic MCI are many times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those with non-amnestic MCI.