Wearable devices like Apple Watches and Fitbits with movement tracking features could soon be able to alarm about cognitive decline among older adults, claims a new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, is based on a survey of nearly 600 older person participants who wore ActiGraph activity monitors that feature tracking sensor similar to those used in Apple Watches and Fitbits.
The finding showed substantial variations in the movement pattern of those with mild impairment or Alzheimer’s disease when compared to people with normal cognition. This included variation in activity during waking hours and more fragmented activity during afternoons in participants with Alzheimer’s. For the study, researchers used data from a larger, ongoing health research project known as the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA). The research project has been going on in the Baltimore area since 1958.
“We tend to think of physical activity as a potential therapy to slow cognitive decline, but this study reminds us that cognitive decline may slow physical activity — and we may one day be able to monitor and detect such changes for earlier and more efficient testing to delay, “Amal Wanigatunga, PhD, MPH, assistant scientist in the Department of Epidemiology at the Bloomberg School, was the study’s lead author.
The scientist emphasized the difference in the afternoon activities of the participants. “The “sundowning” phenomenon, which involves increased confusion and mood changes that begin in the afternoon, is one of the main symptoms of Alzheimer’s dementia, and it’s possible that these activity markers are capturing some movement related to these symptoms, according to Wanigatunga.
The use of cognitive movement tracking devices could be a game changer in the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia. If researchers can predict the development of mild cognitive impairment and, eventually, Alzheimer’s disease, then older people who exhibit this change in activity could benefit from early treatment.
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