Welcome to your daily round-up of everything happening in the world of neurorehab.
Research
First-of-its-kind test can predict dementia up to nine years before diagnosis
Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have developed a new method for predicting dementia with over 80% accuracy and up to nine years before a diagnosis. The new method provides a more accurate way to predict dementia than memory tests or measurements of brain shrinkage, two commonly used methods for diagnosing dementia.
Early life experiences linked to racial disparities in cognition
Negative early life experiences, such as attending segregated schools, contribute significantly to cognitive decline and cognition disparities between older Black and white Americans, according to a new study led by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health. The study is the first to look at the impact of school segregation upon later life cognition using a large representative sample of the US population.
Certain drugs may reduce risk of ruptured brain aneurysm
A new study suggests that people who take a few common drugs may have a decreased risk of having a bleeding stroke due to a ruptured brain aneurysm. The study, published in Neurology, found that four drugs were associated with a decreased risk of having a ruptured brain aneurysm: the high blood pressure drug lisinopril; the cholesterol drug simvastatin; the diabetes drug metformin; and the drug tamsulosin, prescribed for enlarged prostate. The results do not prove that these drugs reduce the risk of this type of aneurysm; they only show an association.
Technology
Researchers investigate embodiment in prosthetic hands
Researchers have used virtual reality to test whether humans can feel embodiment—the sense that something is part of one’s body—toward prosthetic “hands” that resemble a pair of tweezers. They report in the journal iScience that participants felt an equal degree of embodiment for the tweezer-hands and were also faster and more accurate in completing motor tasks in virtual reality than when they were equipped with a virtual human hand.
Company updates
Buck Institute and Sens.ai collaborate to study brain aging
Sens.ai, which uses neurotechnology and AI to improve cognitive healthspan, and Dr Eric Verdin, President and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, have announced a new collaboration to spearhead scientific advancement in brain health and longevity. Together, they’ll research and develop a biological clock designed to measure brain age, marking a potential shift in the understanding and treatment of age-related neurological decline.
