Camera helps Alzheimer's sufferers

A camera has been created by scientists that could help people with Alzheimer's disease and dementia improve their memories.

A system developed in partnership with Microsoft involves a camera taking snapshots every 30 seconds, with the pictures then viewed by the patient as a quick slideshow on a computer.

This process has been shown to improve memory, in some cases dramatically.

Dr Chris Moulin, a neuropsychologist at Leeds University, who is further researching how the camera works on memory, said: "It's potentially very exciting.

"Once people in the early stages of Alzheimer's or other conditions involving memory loss realise they can't remember events, people and places they stop doing things because of the frustration of not being able to remember later."

He added: "A great use for such a camera would be for such events - things out of the normal routine. Having the camera could mean that they can revisit not only the facts of such events, but the essential feelings that are so much part of memory."

In trials, one patient had as much as 80 per cent of her memory of a special event restored after two weeks of using the camera, although the makers say this has so far been the exception.

SenseCam can store up to 30,000 images and scientists are now refining the system.

See http://research.microsoft.com/sendev/projects/sensecam/ for more information.


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