The virtual reality version of a game that helps scientists study Alzheimer's disease launches today.



The game has been billed as the "largest dementia study in history". 

It has been developed by Deutsche Telekom, Alzheimer's Research UK, and scientists from University College London and the University of East Anglia. 

The mobile version, which came out last year, has already been downloaded three million times in 193 countries and generated 9,500 years worth of dementia research for scientists to study.

Playing the game for just two minutes generates the same amount of data scientists would take five hours to collect in similar lab-based research.

"That gave us an enormous amount of information and it really allowed us to understand how men and women of different ages navigate in the game," says Dr David Reynolds, chief scientific officer at Alzheimer's Research UK. 

Dr David Reynolds, chief scientific officer at Alzheimer's Research UK (Photo AFP)

Resolving the tasks requires the use of "different parts of your brain and different parts of your brain are used in different ways by different types of dementia, so it allows us to link what someone can do to what is going on in their brain,"  Dr Reynolds added. 



Lauren Presser, game designer at Glitchers, Sea Hero Quest VR (Photo AFP)


Nearly 50 million people around the world suffer from dementia and Alzheimer's, according to the latest estimates. This figure could balloon to 132 million by 2050. 


Dr Reynolds said playing the game could in itself help with prevention. "We know keeping your brain fit and active, like keeping your body fit and active, is good and is helping to reduce your risk of dementia or slowing its progression down if you have it."