- Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are neurodegenerative diseases that gradually worsen over time. There is currently a lack of effective treatments for both conditions.
- Early diagnoses using biomarkers may help slow disease progression or offer prevention.
- Individuals with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s often experience changes in brain activity patterns during sleep that may be detected using electroencephalography (EEG).
- Certain EEG patterns observed during sleep appear in early stages of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s prior to symptom onset, which could serve as biomarkers.
- Scientists in Denmark are developing an easy-to-use wearable in-ear EEG device to monitor sleep patterns at home and enable widespread screening for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Estimates from the World Alzheimer Report 2021 indicate that nearly 75% of dementia cases across the globe are undiagnosed. This highlights the need for robust biomarkers for screening and diagnosing individuals with neurodegenerative disorders.
There is currently a lack of effective treatments for neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, and early diagnoses may help delay or prevent these conditions.
Individuals with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s begin to show sleep disturbances and changes in brain activity levels during sleep from the early stages of these conditions. Thus, brain activity patterns during sleep could be used as biomarkers for neurodegenerative conditions.
Now, researchers in Denmark are developing an easy-to-use wearable electroencephalographyy (EEG) device that resembles in-ear headphones to measure brain activity levels during sleep.
Besides measuring brain waves, the device also allows for the measurement of other sleep-related variables. The device includes an oximeter to measure blood oxygen levels, a thermometer for body temperature, and a microphone to evaluate heart and respiratory rates.
The scientists hope the development of this easy-to-use…
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