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The researchers are using a virtual reality game to study Alzheimer's disease and dementia and claim that the game has already collected the equivalent of 1,700 years of data in just a few years.
A study spotted by Kotaku UK on Sea Hero Quest shows how the virtual reality game has helped researchers collect information about the first signs of Alzheimer's disease on a large scale and in a limited period of time.
The game itself asks its players to navigate a virtual boat using checkpoints that they must save in memory. This loop aims to badyze some of the earlier symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, as opposed to the more well-known advanced symptoms, such as severe memory loss.
The researchers estimate that two minutes of play equates to about 5 hours of laboratory research. The project allowed the team to quickly collect data that can then be used as a basis for comparing more targeted tests with
For example, they studied people with a specific gene, APOE4, believed to be related to dementia and compared their performance to that of players who do not have the APOE4 gene. The study revealed that high-risk genetic gamblers generally used less efficient routes and performed poorly in space navigation tasks.
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