By Stephen Beech via SWNS

Earpiece microphones could be used to listen for the early signs of dementia, according to new research.

The in-ear technology could monitor sounds of eye movements for neurological decay, say scientists.

Researchers from the School of Higher Technology (ETS) in Montreal, Canada, and Dartmouth in the United States are investigating the use of earpiece microphones to spot early signs of Alzheimer's disease.

The debilitating disease affects more than 50 million people worldwide, and has no known cure,

The slow, progressive nature of the disease makes early diagnosis difficult.

Scientists say that people with Alzheimer's show a loss of motor control along with cognitive decline.

One of the earliest signs can be spotted in involuntary eye movements, known as saccades.

The research team explained that the quick twitches of the eyes in Alzheimer's patients are often slower, less accurate, or delayed compared to those in healthy people.

Research team member Arian Shamei said: "Eye movements are fascinating since they are some of the most rapid and precise movements in the human body, thus they rely on both excellent motor skills and cognitive functioning."

But detecting and analysing saccades directly requires a patient to be monitored by eye-tracking equipment, which is not easily accessible for most people.

The research team is exploring an alternative method using a more ubiquitous and less intrusive technology: earpiece microphones.

Team member Miriam Boutros, of ETS, said: "We are using a device called a hearable.

"It is an earpiece with in-ear microphones that captures physiological signals from the body.

"Our goal is to develop health-monitoring algorithms for hearables, capable of continuous, long-term monitoring and early disease detection."

She explained that eye movements, including saccades, cause eardrum vibrations that can be picked up by sensitive microphones located inside the ear.

The research team is conducting experiments with volunteers, giving them both hearables and conventional eye trackers.

Their goal is to identify signals corresponding to saccades, and to differentiate between healthy signals and others that are indicative of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's.

They hope that their research will eventually lead to devices that can perform non-invasive continuous monitoring for Alzheimer's as well as other neurological diseases.

Doctoral student Mr Shamei added: "While the current project is focused on long-term monitoring of Alzheimer's disease, eventually, we would like to tackle other diseases and be able to differentiate between them based on symptoms that can be tracked through in-ear signals."

The findings were presented at a virtual Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America.

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