Oulu-developed device may detect Alzheimer’s early

A forehead-worn device developed at the University of Oulu may help detect changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease and other brain disorders at an early stage, Yle reports. The Glymphometer measures the circulation of fluids in the brain and is now being tested ahead of possible market launch.

The device is being developed by Professor Teemu Myllylä and the University of Oulu, a Finnish university, and is the result of about 15 years of research. It is also being studied in connection with Parkinson’s disease, stroke and other brain injuries.

Measurements of intensive care patients at Oulu University Hospital are due to begin in the autumn.

International research interest

About 80 Glymphometers are currently being used in international research in the United States, India, Colombia and around 10 European countries.

Myllylä said the device has attracted particular interest in aerospace medicine in the United States. New collaborative studies are being launched, including a plan to measure astronauts in space in the coming years. Researchers at Harvard University are studying brain ageing with the device, while a project with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is examining phenomena related to sleep.

Researchers are increasingly studying the role of the brain’s glymphatic system, which helps clear waste from the brain. When the system does not function normally, waste products, amyloids and various proteins can begin to accumulate. Researchers believe these accumulations may be connected to the development of brain diseases.

“The idea is that we could detect a change before pathological changes occur in the brain,” Myllylä said.

How the Glymphometer works

The device is attached to the forehead with an adhesive patch containing sensors, electrodes and optical openings. Measurement begins immediately, and the data is transferred wirelessly to a cloud service.

A measurement can last from a few minutes to several hours, depending on its purpose. The Glymphometer measures what is known as brain hydrodynamics, or the movement of fluids and the functioning of the brain’s waste-clearing system. Disturbances in the circulation of brain fluid may precede Alzheimer’s disease, according to the article.

The device is based mainly on an optical measurement method using light, alongside other measurement techniques.

Commercial product planned

Myllylä believes the Glymphometer’s main future use will be in healthcare. He hopes commercialisation for medical use can begin within a couple of years.

A version intended for consumers is also being planned as a wellness device. Myllylä compared the possible product to a blood pressure monitor, saying it could provide users with values that offer information about their wellbeing and may be influenced by lifestyle choices such as sleep, exercise and stress.

He said the device would be more useful if preventive and early-stage treatments were developed alongside it. Possible treatments under development include light-based therapy, medication and ultrasound-based treatments that could, for example, accelerate the brain’s waste-clearing system.

The devices currently used in testing are assembled by hand at the University of Oulu. A commercial product would require larger-scale production and a company to manufacture it. Negotiations have already taken place, and Myllylä hopes production could also be based in Oulu.