Research & Innovation
UWF Professor Patents Brain-Wave Test for Early Alzheimer’s Detection
Dr. James Arruda’s 29-year research journey has yielded a non-invasive, low-cost EEG platform that may detect cognitive decline years before symptoms appear.
A University of West Florida psychology professor has cleared a major hurdle on the path to a more accessible Alzheimer’s diagnostic tool. Dr. James Arruda has received a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for his Flash Visual Evoked Potential-P2 (FVEP-P2) platform—an EEG-based technology that detects mild cognitive impairment linked to Alzheimer’s dementia by measuring how quickly the brain responds to brief flashes of light.
The response speed, Arruda’s research shows, is selectively delayed in patients whose mild cognitive impairment often precedes Alzheimer’s—potentially flagging the disease years before cognitive symptoms appear.
Why It Matters
Alzheimer’s is almost always diagnosed after symptoms are well established, limiting the window for effective intervention. That window has grown more critical with the recent FDA approval of the first disease-modifying therapies for early Alzheimer’s—treatments that work best when started early…