From robots to mind video games, new instruments within the battle in opposition to Alzheimer’s

AIR FORCE VETERAN BILL GASKIN MADE A LIFE OUT OF MAKING THINGS WITH HIS HANDS. FROM THESE CANOES TO THE DOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, HOUSE HE SHARES WITH HIS LOVING WIFE, DEB. BUT AT THE AGE OF 58, BILL’S STORY BECAME ALL TOO FAMILIAR. HE WAS AT A JOB SITE OVER IN CANDIA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, AND IT WAS THE SECOND WEEK, AND HE CALLED ME UP ONE DAY ON HIS WAY HOME AND SAID, I DON’T KNOW WHERE I AM. FOR SOMEONE WHO PRIDED HIMSELF ON BEING HANDY, ALZHEIMER’S WAS POTENTIALLY DEVASTATING FOR BILL. WHILE HE HAD DEB TO HELP, HE WANTED TO REMAIN INDEPENDENT AND TO HELP OTHERS AFFECTED BY THE DISEASE. THAT’S WHERE OUR PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE CAME INTO PLAY. SO IT STARTED WITH AN EMAIL TO OUR DAUGHTER WHO WORKS AT UNH AND SAID THEY WERE LOOKING FOR SUBJECTS TO BE PART OF THIS RESEARCH. AND RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING, IF IT’S GOING TO HELP SOMEBODY OUT IN THE FUTURE, THAT’S WHAT HE KEPT SAYING. IF IT WILL HELP SOMEBODY OUT IN THE FUTURE, MEET GALAVANT, A ROBOT DEVELOPED BY UNH RESEARCHERS USING A GRANT FROM THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH. IT’S NAMED AFTER BILL’S HOMETOWN, GALIVANTS FERRY, SOUTH CAROLINA, AND RUNS ON A SCHEDULE AND BY COMMAND. HELPING BILL WITH EXERCISE, TAKING MEDICINE AND MAKING COFFEE WITH AN ASSIST FROM BILL AND DEB’S DAUGHTER, MAGGIE. HI, DEB. LET’S MAKE A CUP OF COFFEE. PRESS THE POWER BUTTON. BUT HOW EXACTLY DOES IT WORK? THE ROBOT THAT YOU ARE SEEING IS A FULLY AUTONOMOUS ROBOT. WHILE COLLECTING SENSOR DATA THAT ARE INSTALLED THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE. IT’S VERY GRATIFYING TO HEAR THAT EVEN THE SMALL, MUNDANE THINGS THAT WE PUT INTO IT IS REALLY HELPING PEOPLE IN THE LONG RUN. IT’S BEEN A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE TO BE ABLE TO KNOW THAT THERE’S SOMETHING THERE THAT CAN HELP HIM. I THINK THAT’S THE BIG THING. AND FOR THE FUTURE. MEANWHILE, AT THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, WE CHECK IN WITH DOCTOR LEE HUEI TSAI. DURING OUR LAST VISIT, TSAI COVERED THE POTENTIAL OF LIGHT THERAPY FOR THOSE SUFFERING FROM ALZHEIMER’S. TELL ME WHERE WE ARE TODAY. BRING ME UP TO SPEED. THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF CHANGES AND ADVANCEMENTS ENCOURAGING ONES. WE HAD A LOT OF ANIMAL MODEL DATA SHOWING VERY ROBUST EFFECTS OF THIS NONINVASIVE BRAIN STIMULATION USING LIGHT AND SOUND. BUT AT THAT TIME, YOU KNOW, HUMAN TRIALS JUST STARTED. FAST FORWARD TO 2026, AND THOSE TRIALS HAVE LEFT EXPERTS ENLIGHTENED AND OPTIMISTIC. THOSE PEOPLE WHO CONTINUE WITH THIS TREATMENT, THEIR MEMORY CAPACITY, REALLY HAS BEEN MAINTAINED AT A STEADY STATE LEVEL. AND IN A COUPLE OF PATIENTS, THEIR ALZHEIMER’S BIOMARKERS ACTUALLY SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED. DO WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE MECHANISM IS THAT IS HELPING THE BRAIN? OUR BRAIN CAN CLEAN ITSELF. SO YOU CAN IMAGINE OUR BRAIN IS LIKE A HIGH PERFORMING ENGINE OR COMPUTER, RIGHT? WORKING VERY HARD DURING THE DAY. BUT THEN DURING SLEEP, THE BRAIN ACTUALLY HAS THIS DAILY WASH. CAR WASH MECHANISM. BUT CAN YOU ACTIVATE THIS MECHANISM WHILE YOU’RE AWAKE? WELL, WHAT IF YOU LEARNED IT ONLY TAKES AN HOUR. AND WHAT IF WE TOLD YOU IT COULD BE ACTIVATED BY AN OBJECT SO COMPACT YOU CAN TAKE IT WITH YOU WHEN YOU TRAVEL? I’LL PUT THE DEVICE IN FRONT OF THE PERSON, AND THEN WE WILL RECORD THE BRAINWAVES SIMULTANEOUSLY USING THIS EEG CAP. BUT THERE’S A PHONE ON HERE SO THEY CAN WATCH ENTERTAINMENT WHILE THEY’RE DOING THEIR HOUR. PRECISELY. HOW SOON COULD THIS BE AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE WHO ARE EITHER IN THE EARLY STAGES OF ALZHEIMER’S, OR MAYBE EVEN BEFORE THEY’RE SYMPTOMATIC? THE EARLIEST WE WILL HEAR SOMETHING, WHAT FDA WILL DO WITH THE DATA WILL PROBABLY BE SOMETIME NEXT YEAR. AND WHAT ABOUT THOSE WHO ARE PREDISPOSED TO GET ALZHEIMER’S OR DEMENTIA? IT TURNS OUT ONE ANSWER MIGHT BE A GAME. IT MAY LOOK LIKE AN EYE TEST, BUT DOUBLE VISION USES SPEED OF PROCESSING TRAINING TO STRENGTHEN BOTH MIND AND MEMORY. BROWN UNIVERSITY PSYCHIATRY PROFESSOR RICH JONES IS ONE OF THE RESEARCHERS INVOLVED IN THE ACTIVE STUDY. SO FOR THOSE WHO MIGHT NOT KNOW WHAT IS SPEED OF PROCESSING TRAINING, IT’S REALLY TRAINING YOUR ABILITY TO RECOGNIZE OBJECTS IN YOUR VISUAL PERIPHERY QUICKLY AND RESPOND TO THEM QUICKLY AND RECOGNIZE THEM. THE SPEED OF PROCESSING TRAINING HAS SHOWN BENEFITS IN FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE AND DAILY ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, AND NOW IT’S SHOWN EFFECTS IN THE OCCURRENCE OF DEMENTIA, ACCORDING TO THE STUDY. PATIENTS WHO PRACTICE THE TRAINING REGULARLY SHOWED A 20% REDUCTION IN DEMENTIA DIAGNOSES. WE HEAR ABOUT DOING CROSSWORDS OR OTHER THINGS. ARE THERE OTHER ACTIVITIES PEOPLE CAN DO, OR IS THIS SPECIFIC TO SPEED OF PROCESSING TRAINING? SO IF YOU’RE DOING A CROSSWORD AND YOU’RE HAVING AN EASY TIME WITH THE CROSSWORD, YOU’RE ALWAYS FINISHING IN INK. THAT’S GREAT, BUT YOU’RE NOT PUSHING YOURSELF. AND THIS TRAINING WAS INDIVIDUALLY ADAPTIVE AND PUSHED YOU TO YOUR LIMITS. SO IT’S PROBABLY NOT JUST STIMULATING. IT PROBABLY DOES REQUIRE A PROGRAM OF TRAINING EXERCISE WHERE THE WEIGHTS GET PROGRESSIVELY HEAVIER. TO THAT WE SAY GAME ON. AND TO PLAY DOUBLE DECISION, YOU CAN DOWNLOAD AN APP CALLED BRAIN HQ. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE. AND BACK TO THE FOLKS AT UNH WHO ARE DOING GREAT WORK. THEY’RE NOW WORKING ON WHAT THEY CALL A RECOGNITION MODE FOR THE ROBOT. SO THE ROBOT WILL BE ABLE TO SENSE WHEN PEOPLE ARE EATING, OR IF SOMEONE HAS A FALL.

From robots to mind video games, new instruments within the battle in opposition to Alzheimer’s

Know-how is opening new paths for sufferers residing with Alzheimer’s illness.

Up to date: 8:15 PM EDT Might 7, 2026

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Air Drive veteran Invoice Gaskin made a life for himself by making issues along with his personal palms, from canoes to the Dover, New Hampshire, dwelling he shares along with his spouse, Deb. At 58, Gaskin was identified with early-onset Alzheimer’s, however by a program on the College of New Hampshire, he was paired up with a robotic named Galivant that helps him make espresso, take remedy and train. This system, made doable by a grant from the Nationwide Institutes of Well being, goals to assist Alzheimer’s sufferers dwell with extra independence. The crew at UNH is at the moment creating an exercise recognition mode that may detect issues like consuming, taking remedy and recognizing falls.At Massachusetts Institute of Techology’s Picower Institute, professor Li-Huei Tsai has continued researching mild remedy. A lot has modified since our final go to with Tsai, when the remedy was being examined on animals. Now, people have taken half in a preventive research, spawning encouraging outcomes. And better of all, sufferers can watch leisure on their telephone whereas it’s related to the sunshine and sound field offering their remedy.Brown College professor of psychiatry Wealthy Jones was a part of the ACTIVE research, which tracked sufferers who performed a “speed-of-processing” online game over a two-decade interval and noticed a 20% discount in dementia incidents. The sport, Double Determination, is offered through the BrainHQ app.

Air Drive veteran Invoice Gaskin made a life for himself by making issues along with his personal palms, from canoes to the Dover, New Hampshire, dwelling he shares along with his spouse, Deb. At 58, Gaskin was identified with early-onset Alzheimer’s, however by a program at the University of New Hampshire, he was paired up with a robotic named Galivant that helps him make espresso, take remedy and train. This system, made doable by a grant from the Nationwide Institutes of Well being, goals to assist Alzheimer’s sufferers dwell with extra independence. The crew at UNH is at the moment creating an exercise recognition mode that may detect issues like consuming, taking remedy and recognizing falls.

At Massachusetts Institute of Techology’s Picower Institute, professor Li-Huei Tsai has continued researching mild remedy. A lot has modified since our final go to with Tsai, when the remedy was being examined on animals. Now, people have taken half in a preventive study, spawning encouraging outcomes. And better of all, sufferers can watch leisure on their telephone whereas it’s related to the sunshine and sound field offering their remedy.

Brown College professor of psychiatry Rich Jones was a part of the ACTIVE study, which tracked sufferers who performed a “speed-of-processing” online game over a two-decade interval and noticed a 20% discount in dementia incidents. The sport, Double Decision, is offered through the BrainHQ app.