EEG Test on brain may predict future dementia

New York, Oct 11 A common brain test by using EEG can predict whether a person may develop dementia in future according to a recent research reported by Leslie S. Prichep of the New York University School of Medicine. Leslie S. Prichep conducted EEG test on 44 patients and followed these people for a decade. The EEG test proved more than 90 percent accurate in predicting who would develop dementia.

Dementia is a brain disorder that causes significant loss of intellectual abilities such as memory capacity and can also lead to Alzheimer’s disease.

The test appears to be able to predict whether people in their 60's and 70's will develop dementia over the next 7 to 10 years.

EEG or Electroencephalogram is painless test that can measure the electrical activity of the brain by using small and sensitive electrodes that are placed over the scalp of a person for about 30 mins.

Leslie feels that patients still might benefit from knowing they were at risk. She said that knowing that dementia is a real risk at least allows the patients to begin planning for it. In another report on medindia today the use of Fish once a week has shown how dementia in elderly can be combated.

The patients in the study were all healthy people who felt that their memories were on the decline. Over the period of the study, 27 of them developed mild impairment or serious dementia, the researchers said.

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