Dementia is a devastating neurodegenerative disease that causes diminished mental abilities and makes patients completely dependent on constant care and supervision. The incidence of dementia is continuously rising, and the worldwide costs for dementia care are projected to increase to around €2 trillion in 2030. Current diagnostic practice (brain scanners, CSF analysis, and clinical observation) is slow and delays the time to diagnosis by several years. Because of this, the disease progresses unhindered, later treatment becomes less effective, and patients’ diminished mental abilities prevent them from making important life decisions for themselves.
We propose a novel approach for early, fast, and affordable dementia screening based on electroencephalography (EEG). BrainTrip has developed, scientifically tested, and validated the BrainTrip Cognitive Index (BCI), an algorithm for the reliable detection of cognitive impairment, which can be the result of early-stage dementia.
Our method works best for people over 60, when the risk for early dementia starts to steeply rise. The test is completely non-invasive and simple: a minimally trained professional puts on an EEG cap, pushes the start button in an app, waits for 5 minutes, and receives the results.