{"71469":{"#nid":"71469","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Portable Device Quickly Detects Early Alzheimer\u0027s","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe latest medications can delay the onset of Alzheimer\u0027s disease, but none are able to reverse its devastating effects. This limitation often makes early detection the key to Alzheimer\u0027s patients maintaining a good quality of life for as long as possible.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow, a new device developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University may allow patients to take a brief, inexpensive test that could be administered as part of a routine yearly checkup at a doctor\u0027s office to detect mild cognitive impairment (MCI) - often the earliest stage of Alzheimer\u0027s. The device is expected to be commercialized later this year.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECurrent assessment tests capable of detecting early Alzheimer\u0027s typically are taken with a pen and paper or at a computer terminal and last about an hour and a half. They must be given by a trained technician in a quiet environment, because any distractions can influence the patient\u0027s score and reduce the test\u0027s effectiveness. Because of their length and expense, the tests are not used as regular screening tools and typically are given only after there is obvious cognitive impairment such as forgetfulness or unsafe behavior.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Families usually wait until their mom or dad does something somewhat dangerous, like forgetting to take their medications or getting lost, before bringing them in for testing. At that point, the patient has already lost a significant portion of their cognitive function,\u0022 said David Wright, MD, who helped develop the device. Wright is assistant professor of emergency medicine at Emory University School of Medicine and co-director of the Emory Emergency Medicine Research Center. \u0022With this device, we might be able to pick up impairment well before those serious symptoms occur and start patients on medications that could delay those symptoms.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Tech and Emory device, called DETECT, gives individuals a roughly ten-minute test designed to gauge reaction time and memory - functions that, when impaired, are associated with the earliest stages of Alzheimer\u0027s disease. The test is a specially modified, shortened version of the traditional pen and paper test and could be given repeatedly by doctors to evaluate any changes in cognitive functions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022We really envision this to be part of the normal preventative care a patient receives from a general practitioner,\u0022 said Michelle LaPlaca, Ph.D., one of the creators of the device and an associate professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. \u0022It would be part of a regular preventative medicine exam much like a PSA test or EKG (electrocardiogram), serving as a cognitive impairment vital sign of sorts.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe portable test runs patients through a battery of visual and auditory stimuli such as pictures and words that assess cognitive abilities relative to age, gauging reaction time and memory capabilities. Its software can track cognitive capabilities - and decline - year to year during annual appointments. And because the device blocks outside sound and light from the patient\u0027s environment, it can be administered in virtually any setting, providing more consistent results.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPreliminary analysis of the first 100 patients of a 400-person clinical study being conducted at Emory\u0027s Wesley Woods Center has shown that the 10-minute DETECT test has similar accuracy to the 90-minute \u0027Gold Standard\u0027 pen and paper test.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith millions of baby boomers easing into late adulthood, the number of patients with Alzheimer\u0027s is expected to skyrocket over the next few decades. More than 24 million people worldwide are currently thought to have Alzheimer\u0027s disease and by 2040, an estimated 81 million people worldwide are expected to develop the disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo give these millions of potential Alzheimer\u0027s sufferers a chance to slow the disease\u0027s advance before serious symptoms set in, doctors need an inexpensive and easy-to- administer test to detect and track the cognitive decline associated with the early stages of the disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe DETECT device is designed to be administered while a patient is still healthy, tracking any abnormal decreases in the patient\u0027s cognitive performance over time. If a patient\u0027s performance declines outside the normal range, the patient would then undergo additional testing and care from a neurologist, neuropsychologist or other specialist.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe DETECT system includes an LCD display in a visor with an onboard dedicated computer, noise reduction headphones and an input device (controller). The display projects the visual aspect of the test, the headphones provide the verbal instructions and the controller records the wearer\u0027s response.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDETECT\u0027s creators have formed a company, called Zenda Technologies, to commercialize the device for MCI, as well as other conditions. Georgia Tech and Emory researchers are exploring other types of cognitive impairment such as Attention Deficit\/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) that could be picked up by DETECT. A version of the system designed to detect mild concussions on the sidelines of a football game, during other high-impact sports or on a battlefield is still being tested.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research was funded with a grant from the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation and support from the Georgia Research Alliance through Georgia Tech\u0027s VentureLab.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EDr. Wright and Dr. LaPlaca have an equity interest in Zenda Technologies. In addition, Dr. Wright and Dr. LaPlaca are inventors on a patent application covering the DETECT technology, and may receive royalties or fees through the license agreement. Emory, Georgia Tech, Dr. Wright, and Dr. LaPlaca may benefit financially if Zenda Technologies is successful in marketing the DETECT device. Dr. Wright\u0027s relationship with Zenda Technologies has been reviewed and approved by Emory in accordance with its policies on conflicts of interest.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E MEDIA CONTACTS: Megan McRainey, Georgia Institute of Technology, 404-894-6016 \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:megan.mcrainey@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emegan.mcrainey@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E and Jennifer Johnson, Emory University, 404-727-5696, \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jrjohn9@emory.edu\u0022\u003Ejrjohn9@emory.edu\u003C\/a\u003E \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech and Emory University researchers have developed a device that may allow patients to take a brief, inexpensive test that could be administered as part of a routine yearly checkup at a doctor\u0027s office to detect mild cognitive impairment - often the earliest stage of Alzheimer\u0027s.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Brief test could be administered at routine checkup"}],"uid":"27281","created_gmt":"2008-01-16 01:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:01:10","author":"Lisa Grovenstein","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2008-01-16T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2008-01-16T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"71470":{"id":"71470","type":"image","title":"DETECT","body":null,"created":"1449177376","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:16:16","changed":"1475894637","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:57"}},"media_ids":["71470"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/","title":"Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.zendatech.com\/","title":"Zenda Technologies"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"14757","name":"Alzheimer\u0027s"},{"id":"249","name":"Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"2216","name":"DETECT"},{"id":"247","name":"Emory"},{"id":"2218","name":"LaPlaca"},{"id":"2217","name":"MCI"},{"id":"2219","name":"Wright"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELisa Grovenstein\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications \u0026amp; Marketing\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=lgrovenste3\u0022\u003EContact Lisa Grovenstein\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404-894-8835\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["lisa.grovenstein@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}