A Salute to Professional Engineers & Geoscientists
Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/648264
***%$"(#" *# $ %%%%( '($+ 3281/32 313;;3 13 8 3 68 338 6 / 2 931 /63<3 ) % 8 3 4 / /2/ 4/3 68 6 1 ;8 6 &< '7 67 73 ;/ 8 6) 2386 ) 3 88 / 2 /63<3 4 86 8&1/ 8 /3 / 2 0;81 31 931 /1 / /2/ / 2 8 3 /8 /;;) 3 7/ 3 0 8; / ;82 3 /8 4 828 6 /;83 68 338 63 813 % '" ""$'" it's already late," says Byagowi. "If we can develop an accurate way to monitor the progression of the disease, we might be able to come up with a method to better treat Alzheimer's." He adds that the hippocampus — the part of the brain that controls spatial cognition — deteriorates in patients with Alzheimer's and dementia. Since playing video games engages the hippocampus, Byagowi believes the technology may also help with rehabilitation. "Maybe in the future drugstores will prescribe Playstation 4s," he says. "It will literally be a game changer." During the testing phase, the members of Team Biohack soon discovered that navigating a virtual reality environment was much more difficult than they'd thought. "Many people got motion sickness, and a lot of older people had trouble using the computer," says Byagowi. To address these issues, Byagowi and White created the VRN Chair. "It's basically a wheelchair connected to a computer that monitors movement," Byagowi explains. "The wheelchair reflects the patient's movements in a virtual reality environment so you are experiencing what you see." If successful, the project will be the silver lining of a very dark cloud. Zahra Moussavi, Team Biohack's adviser and director of the U of M's Biomedical Engineering Program, lost her mother to Alzheimer's two years ago. "She noticed her mom had a hard time navigating very simple tasks like finding the kitchen in her own home," Byagowi says. "The doctors looked at her brain and said there was nothing wrong with her, and the disease kept progressing." By the time the telltale spots showed up on a scan, the disease was too advanced for any effective treatment. Moussavi's heart-wrenching story inspired the team in their drive to develop better methods of detection. Team Biohack came in second in the Game Changer competition, winning $5,000 they will use to purchase new equipment. So far, 350 people have tested the game. Byagowi and White will continue testing its effectiveness with volunteers, while Janssen recruits human subjects for the blood test. "If we can get more solid results, the university has a technology transfer office that takes care of licences and patents," says Byagowi. To volunteer for the virtual reality test, please contact Moussavi at Zahra_Moussavi@ Umanitoba.ca. [ Byagowi (second left) with White (second right), Janssen (right) and Digvir S. Jayas, vice-president, research and international, for the University of Manitoba. University of Manitoba photo