The portable camera that combats memory loss bringing hope to dementia sufferers
The SenseCam takes pictures every 30 seconds
An automatic camera designed to boost the memory of Alzheimer's patients has transformed the life of a woman suffering from incurable amnesia, scientists say.
The lightweight SenseCam, which is worn around the neck, takes a photograph every 30 seconds or whenever it detects movement or changes in light and temperature.
The user later views the images on a computer, in a process designed to build long-lasting memories into the minds of people who would otherwise have no recollection of the events.
In a two-year test, the camera allowed a 66-year-old with severe memory loss to recall important family occasions a year later.
Without the camera to act as a memory aid, the woman would have forgotten the events in less than a week.
Crucially, brain scans showed that she wasn't remembering the photo-viewing session - but was reliving the sights, sounds and feelings of the actual event.
Scientists believe the camera, which will cost around £400, works with a range of memory problems caused by both dementia and amnesia.
They think it could help hundreds of thousands of dementia-sufferers in the UK. Hailed as a 'black box for the human body', the SenseCam was unveiled in 2007.
It is being developed in Cambridge by Microsoft.
Dr Steve Hodges, who is working on the camera, said his team were excited about the latest results which showed a 'marked improvement' in memory.
SenseCam is a wearable digital camera that is designed to take photographs passively, without user intervention
'It's clear that SenseCam has a huge potential both as a memory aid and as a tool for clinicians to better understand cognitive brain functions,' he said.
The camera can store about 30,000 images - roughly a fortnight's worth. It uses a fish-eye lens and sensors.
The device was actually developed as an aid to finding lost keys, but studies have shown its powers to be much more profound.
Dr Emma Berry, clinical neuropsychologist at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, led the functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) study of Mrs B, a 66-year-old librarian diagnosed with the rare brain infection limbic encephalitis in 2002.
SenseCam is fitted with a wide-angle lens that maximizes its field of view
Mrs B's memory deteriorated to the point where she would forget events within days unless she repeatedly reflected on her experiences.
But after replaying images of a significant event - such as a theatre trip or a night in a hotel with her husband - on the SenseCam every two days for two weeks Mrs B could retain memories for months afterwards.
Dr Berry said: 'Through this study, we've found evidence to suggest that these events were remembered and not just learned from excessive exposure of the SenseCam images.
'Our fMRI study shows that when she looks at the images, she not only remembers the event, which is incredible given the level of her amnesic syndrome, but that she activates parts of the brain associated with normal episodic memory.'
Dr Berry's findings are due to be published next week in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry with Practical Neurology.
Despite its success, there are currently no plans to market the SenseCam commercially until the completion of the clinical trials.
But after the trials, it could be made available to the UK's 750,000 dementia sufferers.
Watch video of the device here...Most watched News videos
- Two heart-stopping stormchaser near-misses during tornado chaos
- Protesters form human chain to stop migrant removal from London hotel
- Moment van crashes into passerby before sword rampage in Hainault
- Hainault: Tributes including teddy and sign 'RIP Little Angel'
- Police arrive in numbers to remove protesters surrounding migrant bus
- Protesters slash bus tyre to stop migrant removal from London hotel
- Terrifying moment Turkish knifeman attacks Israeli soldiers
- Manchester's Co-op Live arena cancels ANOTHER gig while fans queue
- Police and protestors blocking migrant coach violently clash
- Police officers taser and detain sword-wielding man in Hainault
- Horror as sword-wielding man goes on rampage in east London
- Police and protestors blocking migrant coach violently clash