In 2022, the Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation invested $450,000 in a Tasmanian research project exploring whether tiny changes in the way we move could reveal the earliest signs of dementia.

This week, that research took a major step forward.

The digital assessment tool at the centre of the project, TasTest, has received a further $2.5 million to accelerate its development and move it closer to becoming a commercially available tool for assessing dementia risk.

It’s a powerful example of why early investment in medical research matters. A research idea that began with support here in Tasmania is now being developed towards a tool that could one day help identify people at increased risk of dementia 10 to 20 years before cognitive symptoms appear.

At the centre of the research is Professor Jane Alty, neurologist at the Royal Hobart Hospital and Professor of Neurology at the University of Tasmania. Her team brings together clinical neurology, dementia research, artificial intelligence and digital technology to investigate whether subtle changes in movement and other functions could provide an earlier indication of dementia risk.

And it all starts with a deceptively simple question:

What if the first signs of dementia aren't in your memory?

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease of the brain, involving the build-up of abnormal proteins and the loss of brain cells and their connections. It is responsible for around 60–70% of dementia cases.

One of the challenges with Alzheimer’s is that changes in the brain can begin many years before someone notices problems with their memory or thinking.

Professor Alty’s research is exploring whether subtle changes in movement and other functions could provide an earlier signal - potentially 10 to 20 years before cognitive symptoms appear.

“We know that movements at the speed of your walking, the speed of your hand movements and so on, they're gradually slowing down,” Professor Alty explained during her recent interview on 7HOFM’s Your Hospital.

Previous research has found that the speed and rhythm of hand movements can change during the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s-related brain changes.

The question was: could those tiny changes be measured using technology?

Meet TasTest

The answer is being explored through TasTest - designed to investigate whether subtle changes in movement and other cognitive functions can help identify people at increased risk of dementia.

One part of the assessment involves a person tapping their fingers and thumb together while a computer or smartphone records their movements.

The technology can analyse details such as the speed and rhythm of the tapping - changes that can be too subtle for the human eye to reliably detect.

But TasTest goes beyond movement.

The technology combines clinical neurology, dementia research and artificial intelligence to analyse a range of functions, including hand movements, reaction time, memory, visual processing, speech and language.

Artificial intelligence can then help identify patterns that may be difficult to detect through observation alone.

The aim isn't to diagnose dementia from a smartphone.

Instead, TasTest is being developed as an additional source of objective information that could help clinicians identify people who may need further assessment, or support conversations around modifying dementia risk.

For the Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation, it’s an exciting example of what can happen when promising research is supported in its early stages and given the opportunity to grow.

Thousands of people are helping to build the evidence, and the technology hasn’t been developed in isolation.

More than 5,000 research participants across Tasmania and interstate have helped the team develop and test TasTest, including around 2,000 people who have completed the assessment each year over the past six years.

"All of the team are very grateful for all the support the foundation has given us, and I think people would like to see that the money they donated to the foundation's Major Project grant has been used wisely and carefully to take a Tasmanian-developed tool to a global population and turn research innovation into a commercial product," Dr Alty said.

Researchers are comparing TasTest results with established measures of dementia risk, including blood biomarkers, clinical diagnoses and cognitive assessments.

This allows the team to investigate whether the patterns detected by TasTest correspond with other established indicators of dementia risk.

The research has also attracted wider recognition, with TasTest selected as a finalist in the 2026 Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Excellence in Interdisciplinary Scientific Research.

The recognition reflects the project's combination of artificial intelligence and clinical neurology - two very different fields coming together to tackle a complex health challenge.

Why earlier detection matters

The potential significance of earlier detection is that it could create a much larger window for action.

Professor Alty says evidence suggests that up to 45 per cent of dementia cases may be preventable or delayed, highlighting the potential importance of identifying risk earlier, when there may still be an opportunity to address modifiable health and lifestyle factors.

“Changes associated with dementia begin in the brain many years before a person notices problems with their memory. TasTest is designed to detect subtle movement changes during this period,” Professor Alty said.

“The greatest opportunity in dementia is prevention.”

But TasTest is not intended to replace doctors or provide a diagnosis.

“If you are concerned for yourself or for somebody else, the first stop should really be going to your GP,” Professor Alty said.

A GP may arrange cognitive screening and further assessment if appropriate.

Instead, TasTest is being developed to complement clinical expertise by giving doctors another source of objective information that could help support clinical decision-making and identify people who may need further assessment or focused risk modification.

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Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation