Can sensors detect cognitive decline?
01/18/2019
In 2016 564,000 Canadians were living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, according to the Alzheimer Society of Canada. By 2031 this number is expected to almost double, impacting as many as 937,000 people.
One of the major challenges in treating this disease involves identifying memory problems early and monitoring them over time. Researchers are working hard to determine new strategies for early detection. However once dementia is identified, what is the best way to keep track of further developments? How can we measure the degree to which a person’s memory is getting worse?
The most common form of assessment of people with memory problems occurs episodically and in clinic.
“We ask people with memory problems and their family to try to remember changes that have been occurring slowly over the past few months, or even years,” explains Dr. Neil Thomas, an investigator at the Bruyère Research Institute (BRI) and cognitive neurologist in the Bruyère Memory Program. “The problem is it can be difficult to recall specific examples that may have happened a long time ago, so recent examples get weighed more heavily in the history received by doctors.”
This is why Neil is looking for new ways to assess people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. He is leading a team that is using home-based sensors to track key markers that may indicate a person’s decline in memory over time.
“These sensors are placed throughout a person’s home, and can detect information related to physical activity, sleep, medication adherence, and other day-to-day activities that change as people’s memory begin to decline,” explains Neil.
The system involves infrared sensors that stick to the wall in each room in a person’s home, which keeps track of their movements. It also utilizes an electronic pillbox that keeps track of when the person with dementia opens it to take their medication, a wristwatch that monitors the person’s activity, and an electronic scale. These sensors collect data every day, which can then be used to get a clearer picture of the patient’s day-to-day functioning. Data analysts can then review the data for key indicators of memory loss—such as whether the person with dementia forgot to take their medication, or forgot to take a shower one day—which may give this system an advantage over the periodic updates that typically take place in clinic.
“Of course more testing is needed to see if this is a viable tool for non-intrusive memory assessment,” says Neil. “But so far it’s showing real potential.”