A BRAINWAVE test could detect early signs of Alzheimer’s disease in just three minutes – years before clinical diagnosis would even be possible.
Researchers say the test, nicknamed ‘Fastball’, could even be used at home and serve as a cheap tool for those who struggle to get a diagnosis.
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Dr George Stothart (right) from the University of Bath, with volunteer John Stennard trying the FastballCredit: PA
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It records the electrical activity of the brain by placing small sensors on the scalpCredit: PA
Fastball measures patients’ brain waves through the use of a headset that uses electroencephalogram (EEG) technology.
It records the brain’s automatic response to a series of flashing images displayed on a screen.
Its inventors, from the universities of Bristol and Bath, say it can detect subtle changes to brain waves during the very early stages of dementia.
A £1.5million funding boost from the government will allow it to be tested on 1,000 patients in Bristol to find out if it can be used for mass screening.
Researchers hope the test could slash five years off the average age of diagnosis.
Dementia is often diagnosed too late, they said, up to 20 years after it has started to develop and when it’s already damaged the brain beyond repair.
Currently, diagnosis relies on tests to assess people’s memory, which researchers have previously said can be limited and may be impacted by a person’s education, language skills and whether or not they’re nervous.
They claimed Fastball swerves these issues as the test assesses patients ‘passively’, without requiring participants to follow instructions or recall information.
Dr Liz Coulthard, from the University of Bristol, said: “Patients can wait a long time for diagnosis and some of our current tests can be inaccurate and stressful for them.
“A quick, easy-to-administer memory test, like Fastball, could transform that.”
Common painkiller used for back pain ups risk of dementia by 29%, scientists warn
A new study, led by experts from the universities of Bath and Bristol and published in the journal Brain Communications, included 52 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 54 healthy older adults.
MCI refers to a decline in memory and thinking. Not all cases progress to Alzheimer’s disease, but it can be an early sign and risk factor for the condition.
As well as the Fastball test, patients on the trial also completed a number of neuropsychological assessments that tested their memory, their ability to pay attention and general cognitive function.
Researchers found Fastball could reliably identify memory problems in people with MCI.
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Researchers said the test could be used at home and detect brain signal changes in indicative of Alzheimer’s in minutesCredit: PA
Patients with amnestic MCI – which involves significant memory loss, such as forgetting appointments and recent conversations – showed significantly reduced responses to the Fastball test compared to healthy patients and those with non-amnestic MCI.
Researchers re-tested the group after one year and found Fastball “showed moderate to good test-retest reliability” in healthy older adults.
The study also demonstrated for the first time that the test can be performed in patients’ homes.
Researchers now say the Fastball could also be used in GP surgeries and memory clinics to speed up diagnoses.
Lead author Dr George Stothart, a cognitive neuroscientist in the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath, said: “We’re missing the first 10 to 20 years of Alzheimer’s with current diagnostic tools.
“Fastball offers a way to change that – detecting memory decline far earlier and more objectively, using a quick and passive test.”
Alzheimer’s Society estimates there are around 982,000 people with dementia in the UK, but more than a third do not have a diagnosis.
The number is expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040.
What are the early symptoms of cognitive decline?
WE all notice a natural decline in memory and thinking as we age.
This will be more pronounced in some people, as they experience memory and thinking problems that are mild but still noticeable.
This is described as mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Unlike dementia sufferers, people with MCI can still get on with day-to-day life.
Research suggests that two out of 10 people over the age of 65 have MCI, according to Alzheimer’s Research UK.
About one in 10 people who’ve received an MCI diagnosis will go on to develop dementia.
Symptoms of MCI include:
Memory – Misplacing items or having trouble remembering recent conversations.
Attention problems – finding it difficult to concentrate, e.g. while watching a TV programme or carrying out duties at work
Disorientation – confusion about time, date or place
Thinking skills – problems with planning or completing tasks, e.g. managing money, or cooking a meal
Problems with communication and finding the right words
Mood and behaviour changes – becoming irritable, anxious, or feeling low
These symptoms may affect someone with MCI all the time, or they might come and go.
There are steps we can take to keep our brains as healthy as possible. These include:
Not smoking
Doing regular physical activity
Staying mentally and socially active
Eating a healthy balanced diet
Limiting the amount of alcohol we drink
Having your hearing checked regularly
Keeping blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels in check
Dr Stothart added: “There’s an urgent need for accurate, practical tools to diagnose Alzheimer’s at scale. Fastball is cheap, portable and works in real-world settings.”
Chris Williams, chief executive of BRACE Dementia Research, which supported the study, said: “Fastball is an incredible tool that could offer anyone who, for whatever reason, cannot access a dementia diagnosis in a clinical setting.”
Reacting to the findings, Sir John Hardy, professor of neuroscience and group leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, said: “Identifying individuals early for cognitive decline is going to be of increasing importance as therapies for Alzheimer’s and other dementias are developed and this protocol Fastball seems as if it may be helpful in this regard.
“What it does not do, and does not claim to do, is distinguish early Alzheimer’s from other causes of decline and this latter is also important.
“Because of this, it is likely that additional tests, biomarker or imaging, would also be needed for this second important aim.”
Dr Julia Dudley, head of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, added: “Too many families face dementia without answers, with one in three people with the condition living without a diagnosis.
“Therefore it’s encouraging to see studies exploring potential ways to detect memory problems earlier.
“This study, in a small group of people, suggests that it can be used to measure mild memory impairment, which for some people can be an early sign of diseases like Alzheimer’s.
“However, as participants were only followed up one year later, we don’t know if those people will definitely go on to develop dementia.
“Longer-term studies in larger, diverse groups of people are needed to find out if this technology can predict how memory problems will unfold over time.”
Barriers to diagnosis
The trial results come as a new report by the Alzheimer’s Society warned that one in five people impacted by dementia receive no support.
A survey, carried out for the charity by Walnut Unlimited, included almost 3,500 impacted by dementia, such as patients, loved ones and unpaid carers.
Just a third said their experience of diagnosis was positive, while 52 per cent faced long wait times and 41 per cent had to see multiple healthcare staff.
Professor Fiona Carragher, chief policy and research officer at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “Almost a million people are living with dementia, yet its scale and the day-to-day realities often remain hidden.
Early signs of dementia
It’s not unusual for your memory to lapse a bit as you get older.
But dementia is different from ‘just getting old’ as it will cause noticeable – rather than gradual – changes to mental abilities and make managing everyday tasks and activities increasingly difficult.
The symptoms of dementia may be small to start with, but get worse over time.
Below are some examples of possible signs.
Memory loss
Memory loss is a key sign of dementia. This can include:
Forgetting something you were only recently told. You may ask for the same information repeatedly – for example, ‘Are the doors locked?’
Putting objects in unusual places – for example, putting your house keys in the refrigerator.
Being unable to learn new tasks, like how to use a new washing machine.
Planning and decision making issues
People with dementia can have difficulty with planning and decision making. This can include:
Getting very confused when planning or thinking things through.
Struggling to stay focused on a single task.
Not making informed, careful decisions when dealing with money or looking at risks.
Finding it hard to manage regular payments, budgets or monthly bills.
Problems with language and understanding
In people with dementia, this can manifest as:
Having frequent problems finding the right word or regularly referring to objects as ‘that thing’.
Finding it hard to take part in conversations.
Regularly being unable to follow what someone is saying even without distractions.
Losing sense of time and place
Dementia can cause problems with orientation, including:
Losing track of the date, season or the passage of time.
Getting lost in a place that is familiar or that should be easy to find your way around – for example, a supermarket.
Regularly being unable to follow what someone is saying even without distractions.
Problems with vision and perception
This can mean having problems making sense of what you see.
For example, having difficulty judging distances on stairs, or mistaking reflections or patterns for other objects.
Mood and behavioural changes
Finally, dementia can also make people act differently or shift their mood. This can mean:
Becoming withdrawn and losing interest in work, friends or hobbies.
Feeling unusually sad, anxious, frightened or low in confidence.
Getting easily upset at home, at work, with friends or in places that usually feel comfortable or familiar.
“These findings tell us that far too many people are going without the help they need, whether it’s support after a diagnosis, trained care professionals, or someone to turn to when things get hard.”
The charity also found more than a third (35 per cent) of people living with dementia are scared of getting diagnosed, while 31 per cent are apprehensive about talking to healthcare professionals.
Professor Carragher said: “An early and accurate diagnosis is vital to enable people living with dementia to access the care, support and treatments they so desperately need.
“Those who have been able to access these treatments experienced benefits, but we simply aren’t diagnosing people early or accurately enough to see current and prospective treatments rolled out widely.”
IT was 1984 and newly qualified doctor Daniel Drucker was excited to dive into the world of scientific research.
Fresh out of the University of Toronto Medical School, the 28-year-old was working at a lab in Boston in the US when his supervisor asked him to carry out a routine experiment — which proved to be anything but.
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Dr Daniel Drucker says he would not rule out using jabs in the future if they proved to be effective against Alzheimer’s diseaseCredit: Supplied
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Model Lottie Moss was taken to hospital last year after a seizure linked to high doses of weight-loss drug OzempicCredit: instagram
For it led to Dr Drucker’s discovery of a previously unknown hormone, sparking a new era in medicine.
What he modestly calls a “happy accident” then kick-started a series of discoveries that made today’s game-changing weight loss jabs a reality.
The hormone was called glucagon-like peptide 1 — or GLP-1, as the world now knows it.
So far around 50,000 of us have been prescribed jabs on the NHS for weight loss, but it is estimated around 1.5million people here are buying them privately — a figure that is expected to rise sharply.
Dr Drucker, now 69, tells The Sun: “I never felt like I was on the brink of something huge.
“It was just a fantastic stroke of luck to be in the right place at the right time and to be part of an innovation that could improve the health of hundreds of millions of people all over the world.”
The drugs are now being hailed as a possible cure for a range of other conditions too, including dementia and migraine.
But Dr Drucker warns: “We need to be cautious, respect what we don’t know, and not rush into thinking these medicines are right for everyone.
‘Full of hope’
“There could be side-effects we haven’t seen yet, especially in groups we haven’t properly studied.”
I had weight regain and stomach issues coming off fat jabs
Some studies have also raised concerns about gallbladder problems and in rare cases, even suicidal thoughts.
GLP-1 was found to play a key role in regulating the appetite and blood sugar levels, by slowing digestion and signalling a feeling of fullness to the brain.
Fat jabs such as Mounjaro and Wegovy contain synthetic versions of GLP-1, tirzepatide and semaglutide, which mimic the natural hormone with astonishing, fat-busting results.
Originally these drugs — known as GLP-1 agonists — were licensed to treat Type 2 diabetes, due to their ability to stimulate the body’s production of insulin, which cuts high blood glucose levels.
But over the past 15 years, after studies confirmed the potential to tackle obesity, pharmaceutical firms have reapplied to have the drugs approved as weight loss treatments.
And now evidence is emerging almost daily to suggest these drugs could help treat and even prevent other chronic and degenerative diseases.
Hundreds of scientific trials are under way, and Dr Drucker is “full of hope”, adding that he would consider taking the drugs himself, to ward off Alzheimer’s disease.
He says: “I think the next five years is going to be massive. These drugs won’t fix everything, but if they help even half the conditions we are testing them for, we could finally find treatments for conditions once thought untreatable.”
Decades after his discovery, Dr Drucker is now a professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, and a senior investigator at the affiliated Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, where GLP-1 research now fills his life.
He says: “Every morning I turn on my phone and check what’s happened overnight — what new discovery has been made, what could this hormone cure or treat.”
Even so, in May UK health chiefs warned that the jabs must not be taken during pregnancy or in the two months before conception, after studies of animals found that semaglutide can cause pregnancy loss and birth defects.
But with human use, no such danger has been confirmed, Dr Drucker says, and dozens of women have conceived while taking them.
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Dr Drucker’s pioneering work led to fat jabs that have become a medical game-changer
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The drugs are now being hailed as a possible cure for a range of other conditions too, including dementia and migraineCredit: Getty
Some scientists even believe GLP-1 drugs may boost fertility, and could become a go-to for infertility treatment.
Dr Drucker, listed in Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2024, says: “It wouldn’t surprise me if five years from now, once we have more clinical trial evidence, if we start recommending these medicines to help people get pregnant, and have safer pregnancies.”
It is exciting stuff, but Dr Drucker admits he also worries about people using the drugs for the wrong reasons — such as slim, young women in pursuit of unrealistic beauty ideals on social media.
He says: “If I’ve got a 17-year-old who wants to lose another five per cent of her body weight to look like some celebrity, that’s a real concern.
“We haven’t studied 10,000 teenage girls on these drugs over five years. We don’t know how they affect bones, fertility, mental health or development in the long term.”
Last year model Lottie Moss, sister of supermodel Kate, revealed she had ended up in hospital after a seizure linked to high doses of weight loss drug Ozempic.
I think the next five years will be massive. These drugs won’t fix everything, but if they help even half the conditions we are testing for, we could find treatments for conditions thought untreatable
Dr Daniel Drucker
A nurse told her the dose she had been injecting was meant for someone twice her size.
Dr Drucker warned that older adults, people with eating disorders and those with mental health conditions may respond differently to the drugs.
He says: “We’re still learning, and just because a medicine works well in one group doesn’t mean it is safe for everyone.”
Dr Drucker says: “Some people experience nausea and vomiting, which can lead to dehydration, and that in itself can be dangerous.” He also warns that losing weight too quickly can reduce muscle mass and bone density, which is especially risky for older people.
He adds: “This is why it is important people only take these drugs when being monitored by medical professionals, so they can be properly assessed for side-effects and receive the safest, most effective care.”
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Dr Drucker with his fellow medic wife Dr Cheryl Rosen, a dermatologistCredit: Getty
So far at least 85 people in the UK have died after taking weight loss jabs, according to reports sent to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency watchdog.
While none of the deaths has been definitively linked to the drugs, health bodies noted a “suspicion” that they may have played a role.
Dr Drucker says: “Reports like these can raise flags, but without proper comparison groups they don’t tell the full story.
‘Drugs aren’t candy’
“In fact, large trials show GLP-1 drugs actually reduce death rates in people with Type 2 diabetes and those with obesity and heart disease.
“So far, the evidence looks solid and reassuring.”
With millions of patients treated over the years, GLP-1s have a well-established safety record for diabetes and obesity.
But Dr Drucker warns that for newer uses, such as Alzheimer’s, fatty liver disease or sleep apnoea, we need more data.
He says: “I don’t think there are any hidden, terrifying side-effects waiting to be uncovered.
“But that doesn’t mean people should take them lightly. We don’t yet have 20 years of experience treating some of these conditions.
“We need to approach each new indication with appropriate caution, to really understand the benefits versus the potential risks.
“These drugs aren’t candy, they won’t fix everything — and like all medicines they have side-effects.
“I don’t think we should abandon our focus on safety. We need to move carefully and thoughtfully as this field evolves.”
I’m not struggling with Type 2 diabetes or obesity, but I do have a family history of Alzheimer’s. I’m watching the trials closely and, depending on the results, I wouldn’t rule out taking them in the future
Dr Daniel Drucker
He continues: “I’m not struggling with Type 2 diabetes or obesity, but I do have a family history of Alzheimer’s. I’m watching the trials closely and, depending on the results, I wouldn’t rule out taking them in the future.
“I have friends from college who are already showing early signs of cognitive decline, and there’s hope that in some cases, semaglutide might help to slow it.”
Several studies over the years support that theory.
A recent study by a US university found that the jabs could prevent Alzheimer’s-related changes in people with Type 2 diabetes.
Separate research from Taiwan found that people on GLP-1 agonist drugs appeared to have a 37 per cent lower risk of dementia.
Dr Drucker now regularly receives messages from people around the world whose lives have been changed by the drugs his lab helped to create.
He says: “I get tons of stories. People send me emails and photos, not just showing their weight loss, but how their health has changed in other ways too.”
Some say the jabs have helped their chronic pain, cleared brain fog or improved long-standing health conditions such as ulcerative colitis or arthritis.
Dr Drucker adds: “It’s incredibly heartwarming and I never get tired of hearing these stories.”
But for him there is even deeper meaning attached to his discovery.
His 97-year-old mother Cila, originally from Poland, survived the Holocaust, spending months as a child hiding in the family’s attic before they were captured and held in a ghetto, where her mother and sister were later shot dead.
At the end of the war in 1945 she became a refugee in Palestine, then in 1953 she emigrated to Canada, first settling in Montreal then making Toronto her home in the 1990s.
Dr Drucker says his work has helped to ease Cila’s survivor’s guilt which had consumed her for decades.
He says: “She looks at my work and she’s so proud of how many people it could potentially help.”
TV presenter Fiona Phillips was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s back in 2022 and the pair recently opened up about dealing with the disease in their candid new book
Martin said the This Morning drama helped him(Image: @Schofe/Twitter)
This Morning boss Martin Frizell has said that the Phillip Schofield drama “helped” him while dealing with Fiona Phillips’ Alzheimer’s diagnosis. He recently said that the drama at work gave him something else to focus on while things were all go at home.
Fiona was 61-years-old when she was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in 2022. Since then, husband Martin has been by her side caring for her.
Fiona was diagnosed at 61(Image: Getty Images Europe)
During the diagnosis, Martin was also dealing with some drama while working at This Morning. However, he said that this managed to take “his mind off Fiona at home”. In 2023, This Morning’s Phillip resigned after more than 20 years on the programme after having an affair with a younger colleague.
Co-host Holly Willoughby then resigned later after being informed by police of a plot to kill her. Martin has said that due to being busy at work, it gave him some “structure and normality”.
Speaking in the book, Martin wrote: “I was busy with work at that time. We’d had big changes at This Morning with Phillip Schofield leaving, Holly Willoughby stepping down after the pressures of a serious kidnap threat, and Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard becoming the new hosts in March 2024.
“It meant there was a lot to sort out to make the show the best it possibly could be, but being that busy actually helped me. I loved going into work – not because it was an escape from what was going on at home, but because it gave me structure and normality.
“And it meant that I didn’t have time to think about what was to come for Fiona. For both of us.” While this was going on, Martin shared that Fiona’s “long-term memory was functioning better than the short-term” but she found it difficult to leave the house due to becoming more anxious.
Martin quit This Morning a year after the This Morning scandal after first joining in 2014 as editor of Loose Women before taking over at This Morning.
In a statement last November, he said: “Next year I’m expecting my family priorities to change so I need to free up time for them. I love my team at ITV and will miss them and the thrill of live telly but it’s an always on, 24 hours a day, seven days a week commitment and I won’t be able to do both.
It’s been a privilege to lead truly great presenters and producers, between us we’ve turned out more than six thousand hours of live topical telly, that’s around 20,000 items and the gongs are always nice.”
Martin discusses in the book at Fiona is now unable to “brush her teeth, shower and use her phone” without his help. He said that his wife “wouldn’t know how to turn the kettle on now” and now “sits and stares for most of the day”.
Martin Frizell, the husband of former TV presenter Fiona Phillips, has been sharing heartbreaking updates about her battle with Alzheimer’s
The husband of Fiona Phillips has revealed that the former TV presenter has not cooked in years and has no time for her dressing room of designer clothes as she battles Alzheimer’s.
Martin Frizell said all his wife’s favourite hobbies and interests are now gone – she has not cooked in two years and wears the same T-shirt and trousers every day.
He asked The Telegraph: “What do I do with all these clothes?” And of her previously beloved cookery books, which now lay piled in the basement: “Do I take them to the dump?… She’s never going to open one again.”
But he’s determined not to let her favourite interests – of looking glamorous and eating delicious food – to completely disappear and he regularly helps her to get her hair coloured and nails done.
And he said the best thing his friends could do is to cook for them, leaving something on the doorstep, reports MailOnline.
Fiona Phillips is battling Alzheimer’s(Image: Karwai Tang, WireImagevia Getty Images)
The ex-GMTV host, 64, was diagnosed with the brain disorder in 2022, aged just 61. It came after she left the former ITV breakfast show in 2008 to care for her father, who suffered from it too, and died in 2012. Her mother also passed away from the disease in 2006.
Martin, 66, left his job as Editor of ITV’s This Morning after 10 years in February to care for Fiona. She has now written a memoir, Remember When: My Life With Alzheimer’s, with the help of her husband and journalist friend Alison Phillips, about her diagnosis.
Ahead of its release on July 17, Martin has now spoken out about some of the most heartbreaking impacts of the disease, which is the most common cause of dementia. There is currently no cure but there are medicines which can somewhat alleviate symptoms.
Martin, who married Fiona in 1997 and shares two children, Nathaniel, 26, and Mackenzie, 23, with her, started by contributing a few paragraphs to his wife’s memoir but ended up generating more than 24,000 words.
Fiona Phillips with her husband Martin
He recalled when she was diagnosed and given a leaflet on living with the disease that had a old couple with a Zimmer frame on it. It completely jarred with how young she was, having only just turned 61, Martin said: “She was wearing skinny jeans and high-heeled boots. This was a degenerative disease for old people like the ones on the leaflet,” he said.
The couple first put her symptoms – brain fog, social withdrawal, mood swings, depression and anxiety – down to the menopause.
His wife has always been active – so Martin wondered if her diagnosis could have been caused by stress.
At one point, during her turn on GMTV from 1993 to 2008, she was starting work at 3am, taking part in Strictly Come Dancing, bringing up her young sons, and caring for her parents, who lived far away in Wales.
But he also thought it could be their lifestyle in their younger years – which saw them regularly drink a bottle of wine each every night.
Martin Frizell on This Morning(Image: ITV)
Martin, who has also edited GMTV and Loose Women, now cares for her full-time at their home in London. He revealed she has declined considerably over the last 12 months, needing help with basic tasks like brushing her teeth, developing more confusion, pain, delirium and psychosis and mostly staying inside
Martin appeared on This Morning on Friday, July 11 to tell hosts Alison Hammond, 50, and Dermot O’Leary, 52, about his wife’s progress.
He shared how challenging family life has been since Fiona’s diagnosis three years ago.
He said: “In the book, there’s a picture of her at the end of our road, the most recent picture I took, only a few weeks ago.
“And she’s looking great and she’s smiling and she’s got her coat on. And what you don’t know is she thought I’d kidnapped her. This was us going out.
“Because you get delusions because you get so worked up. She keeps saying, ‘I want to go home’.”
Asked by Alison if she still recognises him, he said: “She does recognise me most of the times. Doesn’t quite know that I’m her husband but she knows who I am.”
