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---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scientist uses computer to test for Alzheimer's ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 1997 Nando.net Copyright 1997 Reuter Information Service LONDON (July 31, 1997 10:04 a.m. EDT) - A British neuropsychologist is using a computer to determine whether slight memory loss is just a sign of old age or an early indication of Alzheimer's disease, "New Scientist" magazine reported Thursday. Joanna Iddon of Cambridge University is evaluating patients with a simple computer touchscreen test. The Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery, or CANTAB, is designed to evaluate different areas of the brain and the mental abilities associate with them. "It a bit like a computer game," Iddon, who has been using CANTAB for five years, told the magazine. During the "Delayed Matching to Sample" test patients are shown four images which then vanish from the screen and reappear after a short time lapse ranging from 0-12 seconds. "The computer records how long it takes a patient to recognise the matching image. Declining performance in this test is one of the first indications of Alzheimer's," New Scientist said. Patients with other illnesses such as Parkinson's disease, another degenerative brain disorder, are evaluated with different computer tests. Iddon said patients quickly get bored doing the standard paper neurological tests, which she claims are not very accurate, but seem to enjoy the computer tests. Alzheimer's is an incurable form of dementia but New Scientist said the CANTAB test can help to asses the effectiveness of different treatments because the results can be seen quickly. CeNeS, the company that owns CANTAB, claims the test can detect neurological changes linked to the disease in only six months. <http://www.nando.net/newsroom/ntn/health/073197/health2_29031.html> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- [log in to unmask]