The Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University of Medicine have just devel-oped a new device to detect the cognitive loss associated with early stage Alzheimer’s disease. A simple 10 minute scan with the machine allows doctors to quickly assess the particular stage of the disease and prescribe treatments to delay and offset the disease’s progression. The device conducts a test that includes picture and word triggers to gauge cognitive function, considered a huge medical improvement over the an old pen and paper examination usually lasting about an hour and a half.

The article about this new device and one of the physicians who developed it, David Wright, explores its function and potentials for a cure. “Families 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,” Wright is quoted saying in the story.

New Alzheimer’s developments are always interesting to learn about and give us hope that one day there will be a cure, but in the meantime family caregivers are still tasked with coping with this disease and its long term effects on their loved ones and family members. Our newest addition to the AGIS site gives specific information on how to properly care for a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

Medical Science still has no legitimate cure or guaranteed preventative treatment for Alzheimer’s, but doctors are actively researching the disease more than ever as Americans grow older and more people become afflicted. Current estimates are that 24 million people worldwide currently suffer from this, and that number is expected to hit 81 million by 2040. At 85 years of age, the risk is nearly 50 percent that any one person may be affected by Alzheimer’s or some form of dementia. Read about how caregivers are dealing with Alzheimer’s and dementia by checking out user discussions on our forum.

Resources from AGIS.com:

Alzheimer’s and Dementia

Can Alzheimer’s Disease be Prevented?

Alzheimer’s Research

Filed under: Alzheimer's, Research, Technology