Before memory loss: Early Alzheimer's symptoms may appear as early as age 40

The study volunteers ranged in age from 43 to 66 (Image: Image Bank)

Early signs of Alzheimer's disease can be detected in people as young as 40, according to an investigation by doctors at University College London in England. These signs come before more familiar symptoms, such as memory loss. The information is from Capitals.

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The English scientists concluded that “poor spatial navigation” could be one of the main early indicators of the disease, which can appear 20 years before the average age of onset of symptoms traditionally attributed to the disease.

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The study was published in the journal Alzheimer's and Dementia earlier this year, in February, and involved volunteers aged between 43 and 66. Using virtual reality goggles, they had to navigate a maze – also virtual – to assess the participants' ability to geolocate.

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Half of these people had an increased genetic risk of Alzheimer's disease due to the presence of the APOE4 gene, which was recently discovered to be something that precedes the onset of cognitive decline.

Volunteers with the APOE4 gene performed worse on navigation tasks, despite having similar results to other participants on other cognitive tests.

“Our results suggest that impairments in spatial navigation can develop for years, or even decades, before any other symptoms appear,” says neuroscientist Coco Newton, the study’s leader, in an interview with UCL.

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Men with APOE4 had worse outcomes than women, suggesting a gender difference in the onset of symptoms. For the British scientists, the research could support the creation of tests that detect Alzheimer’s disease earlier, enabling treatments that could slow the progression of the disease.

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“We know that some medications can delay the disease if people take them early, so the earlier we can diagnose, the better the treatment in the future,” says Coco.

*Under the supervision of Andrea Da Luz