Medical discovery reveals that patients with Alzheimer's disease can be identified by their walk – RT UK News

Scientists from the University of Newcastle, England, have found that doctors are able to accurately identify whether a patient is suffering from Alzheimer's disease or Lewy body dementia in examining the subtle differences in their walking habits. This is the first time that researchers have been able to establish walking as a potential clinical marker of subtypes of neurological disease.

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For the study, the researchers analyzed the walk of 100 people, including 29 adults with intact cognition, 36 patients with Alzheimer's disease and 45 people with Lewy body dementia. The test participants simply walked on a carpet containing thousands of sensors inside to measure their movements, and the researchers uncovered distinct patterns in how the different groups walked.

"Properly identifying the type of dementia a person is important to clinicians and researchers, because it allows patients to receive the most appropriate treatment for their needs as soon as possible," Ríona McArdle, lead author of the study and postdoctoral researcher at the Faculty of Medical Sciences of Newcastle University.

The study was published this week in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

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