Early Diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment through Balance Biomarkers using Wearable Inertial Sensors

Abstract

As human life expectancy continues to rise, the senior population is expanding, leading to a notable surge in degenerative conditions such as dementia. Dementia arises from the gradual decline of cognitive capacities and spotting its early stages, particularly Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), presents a challenge due to its transitional nature, distinct from a complete cognitive breakdown. Therefore, there's a critical need to control the progression of this condition through timely detection and initial intervention. Recent research has underscored the significance of analyzing postural balance as valuable indicator for predicting dementia in the elderly. For this study, data was acquired using wearable inertial sensor, attached to lower back of participants, while standing in four different conditions in the subsequent order: (1) eyes-open EO, (2) eyes-close EC, (3) right-leg lift RL, and (4) left leg lift LL. The results indicated that significant balance biomarkers were found for detection of MCI patients wherein four features were found in EO condition, three features in EC, one feature in right leg lift condition and six features in left leg lift condition. Hence, static balance assessment based using wearable inertial sensors in home settings provides significant balance markers which can be utilized for early detection of Mild Cognitive Impairment. Static eyes-open and left leg lift balance assessment features are significantly different than eyes closed and right leg lift conditions.