Know your risk of Alzheimer’s with this simple writing test: It’ll help you take preventive measures

An analysis of writing patterns may help spot early signs of Alzheimer's disease years before the onset of the symptoms. Read on to know more.

By: Jahnavi Sarma | | Updated: February 4, 2021 9:14 am

older adults who were more repetitive in word usage, made spelling errors, and missed words like "the," "is" and "are" even when they were cognitively normal were more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease later.

Alzheimer’s is a debilitating degenerative condition that can severely impact the quality of life of patients. It is traumatic not only for patients but also for caregivers. It is a progressive disease and the symptoms get worse over the years. It destroys the brain cells thereby affecting memory and other important mental functions. There is no cure for this condition, but you may be able to delay the progress of the disease by taking timely action and going for the recommended treatment. But the problem with Alzheimer’s disease is that the initial symptoms are very subtle and therefore easy to miss. Most patients get a diagnosis only after the disease has progressed significantly and the symptoms are easy to spot. So, the key to effectively managing this condition is early detection, which sadly is not always the case. Also Read - Aerobic exercise may reduce memory loss in Alzheimer's patients

But things may be changing now. According to a new study by researchers at IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York, an analysis of writing patterns may help spot early signs of Alzheimer’s disease years before the onset of the symptoms. The study involved a group of 80 men and women in their 80s. This was published in The Lancet EclinicalMedicine. Also Read - Menopause may increase forgetfulness, lack of attention

Word repetition, spelling errors may indicate risk

According to the researchers, older adults who were more repetitive in word usage, made spelling errors, and missed words like “the,” “is” and “are” even when they were cognitively normal were more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease later. All the subjects of this study were from the Framingham Heart Study, a multi-generational study initiated in 1948 that has spurred thousands of health studies. During the course of this multi-generational study, participants had to take a writing test. At the time of taking the test, none of the 80 participants developed Alzheimer’s disease. Also Read - Post-stroke acute dysexecutive syndrome: Experts shed light on this little-understood condition

AI programme identifies high-risk group

After selecting their subjects, the IBM researchers used an artificial intelligence (AI) programme to analyse the subtle differences in language to examine the word usage by the participants. The AI programme identified that one group of participants repeated words more frequently. They also used a simple grammatical structure in their language and tended to miss words like “the,” “is” and “are.” The members of that group went on to develop Alzheimer’s disease later.

Preventing the condition

Sadly, there is no cure for this condition. Experts are also not very sure about what exactly causes this disease. But they agree that it may be a combination of genetic, lifestyle, environmental and existing health factors. You may not be able to prevent this condition, but you can definitely bring down your risk significantly and delay the progression of Alzheimer’s. Follow healthy lifestyle habits, exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet, sleep well and avoid stress. If you are able to achieve this, you will be bringing down your risk considerably. Also, keep your mind stimulated as this will keep your cognitive abilities sharp and be social. All these little things in life can be of great help when you are old.

(With inputs from IANS)

Published : February 3, 2021 12:35 pm | Updated:February 4, 2021 9:14 am

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