A neurologist has shared a simple 10-second test that could predict someone’s risk of dementia. According to the expert, it highlights “early dysfunction” in parts of the brain.
Dementia is a syndrome, or a group of associated symptoms, linked to the ongoing decline of the brain. Most common in people over the age of 65, it often leads to problems with memory as well as behavioural changes.
In some cases the symptoms of dementia won’t become noticeable until the condition has progressed. However, there are some ways to predict your likelihood of developing dementia ahead of time.
In a video uploaded to social media platform TikTok, neurologist Doctor Baibing Cheng – who is better known online as Dr Bing, shared some ways to test your risk of dementia. These included one simple 10-second check.
“Here are five signs that someone might be at risk for dementia, he said. “Number one is the inability to stand on one leg for at least 10 seconds.
“If you’re 70 years old or younger (and have legs) you should be able to do this and if you can’t do this it’s associated with increased risk of dementia because impaired balance reflects early dysfunction in the brain regions responsible for motor control such as cerebellum and basal ganglia, which are also affected in neurodegenerative processes.”
His advice is supported by a study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease in 2009. In a trial of more than 680 people, researchers found that those who were unable to stand on one leg for five seconds were more at risk of cognitive decline during Alzheimer’s disease.
Study authors wrote: “An abnormal one-leg balance test is a marker of more advanced dementia and predicts a higher rate of cognitive decline.” And a separate study from 2015, showed that balancing on one leg may indicate if a person is at risk of dementia or stroke.
More specifically it was concluded that an inability to stand on one leg for more than 20 seconds was associated with microbleeds and “silent” strokes. Lead researcher Dr Yasuharu Tabara, from Kyoto University in Japan, said: “Our study found that the ability to balance on one leg is an important test for brain health.
“Individuals showing poor balance on one leg should receive increased attention, as this may indicate an increased risk for brain disease and cognitive decline.”
Dr Bing added four other ways to test for dementia risk.
Body weight squat
The inability to do a body weight squat could also signify cognitive decline. He said: “This is usually tested using a chair stand test or a sit to stand test and the inability to do this is associated with dementia risk because poor lower limb strength and mobility indicate early decline in neural circuits involved in both motor and cognitive function.”
Acting out dreams
He explained: “If someone is frequently kicking screaming or punching their partners in bed this can be seen in REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) and is a strong predictor of future dementia especially synucleinopathies like Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s disease. This happens because in RBD there is early degeneration of brainstem structures that regulate REM sleep.”
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Loneliness
“This is associated with increased dementia risk due to chronic activation of stress pathways increased inflammation and reduced neurotrophic support, which leads to accelerated nerve degeneration,” he said. “Loneliness is also linked to reduced grey matter volume and also altered BDNF expression which can lead to cognitive decline.”
Hand grip strength
He added: “This reflects overall physical frailty and is correlated with reduced brain volume and impaired executive function.”