Driving patterns could predict early Alzheimer’s, UCalgary researchers find

The way older adults navigate roads could hold the key to detecting Alzheimer's years before clinical symptoms appear, new research suggests.

The way an older adult navigates their morning commute or a trip to the grocery store could hold the key to detecting Alzheimer’s disease years before clinical symptoms appear, according to research from the University of Calgary.

A study from UCalgary’s Healthy City Lab has led to the development of a “route complexity metric,” a digital fingerprint that tracks subtle changes in how people navigate behind the wheel.

The findings, published in the journal IEEE Xplore, suggest people in the earliest preclinical stages of Alzheimer’s begin to subconsciously alter their driving habits to favour simpler, more direct routes.

A ‘digital fingerprint’ of the brain

The research team used passive sensors installed in the vehicles of 111 adults between the ages of 65 and 85.

Some participants had biomarker-confirmed preclinical Alzheimer’s, meaning their brains showed signs of the disease despite having no outward symptoms like memory loss.

“Driving is a very complex activity,” said Dr. Sayeh Bayat, director of the Healthy City Lab and assistant professor at the Schulich School of Engineering.

“When you’re driving, you’re constantly making decisions. All that draws on different parts of the brain. If there are lots of turns, or if you’re taking a route that’s different from what you’re used to, it requires more planning, attention and spatial awareness.”

Key findings

Simplification: Drivers with preclinical Alzheimer’s tended to shift toward less complex, more direct routes as they aged.

Subtle Shifts: These changes often go unnoticed by family members but are captured by continuous sensor data.

Contrast: Cognitively healthy adults in the same age bracket did not show the same trend toward simplified routing.

Lead author and graduate student Kelly Long noted these findings suggest early Alzheimer’s influences how people plan and execute everyday tasks long before they might fail a traditional cognitive test.

Non-invasive diagnostics

Currently, detecting early-stage Alzheimer’s often requires expensive imaging like PET scans or invasive procedures such as spinal taps.

Bayat believes monitoring digital biomarkers like driving could offer a more accessible, everyday alternative.

“Our route complexity metric lets us measure those changes without asking people to do anything extra,” Bayat said.

The researchers hope this data will eventually complement clinical tests, allowing for earlier interventions and more personalized care as the disease progresses.

Community outreach

The announcement coincides with Alzheimer’s Awareness Month.

Members of the Healthy City Lab will present their research at the “Talking About Dementia” education sessions hosted by Alzheimer Calgary.

When: Saturday, Jan. 31, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Where: DoubleTree by Hilton Calgary

Registration: alzheimercalgary.ca

Study participation

Bayat and her team are looking for participants in their ongoing research.