New breakthrough laser test could detect different types of dementia in seconds

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A new test that uses lasers to detect different types of dementia in just seconds could “revolutionise” how the disease is diagnosed. Professor Chris Kipps, consultant neurologist at University Hospital Southampton, said the new technique represents “a breakthrough in medical technology” and could “change the way we approach dementia diagnosis”. The hope is that the new technology, known as multi-excitation Raman spectroscopy, will create what the researchers call a “biochemical fingerprint” of a person to help pinpoint the type of dementia. Professor Sumeet Mahajan, professor of molecular biophotonics and imaging at the University of Southampton, said: “Our integrated approach has the potential to revolutionise dementia diagnostics.