Researchers in Japan have developed a test that can predict future neurodegeneration in cognitively healthy individuals using virtual reality.
The test evaluates an individual's spatial navigation ability—one of the first skills affected by Alzheimer's and related diseases before memory loss or cognitive decline can start being noticed.
They designed an immersive virtual reality (VR) test to assess path integration, a key component of navigation that refers to our ability to track our position and direction as we move around based on internal cues.
Results revealed that individuals with poorer performance in the VR path integration test showed greater levels of cortical thinning and volume loss in brain regions affected by early Alzheimer's and increased levels of p-tau181 and GFAP markers.
The test was also able to identify those who experienced the fastest brain decline with high accuracy, especially in parahippocampal regions of the brain.
These findings indicate that the VR test is able to capture both molecular and structural signatures of early neurodegenerative processes that emerge before clinical symptoms can lead to an Alzheimer's diagnosis.
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