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RandomFactor writes:

Sea Hero Quest is a video game that helps to identify sufferers of Alzheimer's disease in its early (and often effectively symptomless) stages.

Sea Hero Quest was built as a way to identify people who might be at risk of Alzheimer's but who aren't yet suffering any major symptoms of the disease and according to a study recently published in the journal PNAS, it seems the game is effective.

In Sea Hero Quest, which is a VR game, players have to navigate and control a virtual boat. They are given a map and shown checkpoints, then the map is taken away and players must navigate to these checkpoints in the game world without the map.

The researchers have created a baseline to compare to future players from the thousands of players who have already downloaded and played the game. The hope is that this will help identify unknowing sufferers of the disease so they can be treated early before the severe memory and cognitive impairment of later stages.

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