Help us learn more about dementia

MORE than 12,000 people, including TV star Kevin Whately, have given researchers a greater insight into dementia by playing brain games on their smartphone.

Participants who signed up for the study, including almost 700 from the North East, complete memory and thinking based tasks using a smartphone app for five minutes a day over a month.

Their responses are helping researchers understand more about how healthy brains work.

And it is hoped this will eventually enable health professionals to spot the early warning signs of dementia, resulting in improved diagnosis rates.

The study involves people who do not have dementia and among those to have taken part is Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Lewis and Inspector Morse actor Kevin Whately, whose mother Mary died with dementia in 2009.

The star appears in an Alzheimer’s Society video to promote the research project. In it, he says: “Thank you to all those who have united with Alzheimer’s Society and supported GameChanger.

“We’ve taken a big step forward already but we still need thousands more people across the UK to be GameChangers for dementia research. There’s still plenty of time to take part and encourage your friends, family and colleagues to get involved.”

The research project, launched last September, is led by the University of Oxford and supported by Alzheimer’s Society.

The app features a series of games designed to test specific aspects of memory and thinking that are affected in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr Chris Hinds from University of Oxford’s Big Data Institute said: “People using the app are just playing games but their phones are doing much more – collecting data that we can use to learn about the brain, to help us understand what is a natural part of ageing and what is a warning sign.”

■ For more information about GameChanger or to sign up visit www. alzheimers.org.uk/gamechanger Kevin Whately