A game that, worldwide, 2.4 million people will be played, has become the biggest study into dementia, until now. Scientists hope that it leads to a breakthrough in the earlier detection of the disease.
Sea Hero Quest is called the game, in which users on their mobile phone a boat between icebergs to navigate. This is the navigation capability. And a reduced navigation capability is one of the first signs of dementia.
Similar to 9.400 year labonderzoek
The game is in may launched by Alzheimer’s Research UK and, since then, has just as much usable data produced as 9.400 years of research in a laboratory would do. Experts hope the data can be use to dementia earlier to detect.
Dr. Hugo Spiers of London’s University College presented the first results this week at a conference in San Diego. “This is the only study of its kind, on this scale, until now,” he says. “The data are many times more accurate than that of previous research in this area. The findings that the game produces, have a huge potential.”
navigation capability takes earlier than thought
It would, according to Spiers, a milestone, if dementia is detected in an early stage, well before patients signs of memory loss exhibit. “This research gives us the opportunity to really make a difference in the lives of millions of people with dementia and the people who run the risk of the disease in the future.”
By mapping what an average navigation capability is for a particular age and sex, variations may be noted. So it became clear that 19-year-olds (the youngest players) 74 percent accurate in hitting targets, while 75-year-olds (the oldest players) was only 64 percent. Notable: players in Scandinavian countries score significantly better than other nationalities.
The next two years, scientists will have the data to analyze. The game is also in the Netherlands to download.
RTL News
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