Relatives and friends of older adults could now say if a person is at risk of impending dementia by looking at their sense of humour. A new study has found that changes in the humour of older adults into dark sense of humour and satirical humour indicate the development of the condition.

The findings come from the analysis of the experiences of friends and family of the patients. Researchers from the University College London asked the participants about the changes they had observed on the patients before being diagnosed with dementia.

The analysis shows that many had noticed a dramatic change in humour of the patients nine years before they had been diagnosed. Most patients tend to laugh inappropriately about tragic events.

Researchers focused on patients with frontotemporal dementia. The study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

Experts consider frontotemporal dementia as one of the rare types of dementia which affects the brain region that works on the personality and behaviour of a person. Patients with this type of dementia are at risk of losing inhibition, being more impulsive and struggling with social situations.

In the study, friends and relatives of 48 patients from the dementia clinic at University College London were asked to rate the patients about their interest to different kinds of comedy. The questions include slapstick comedy, satirical comedy, minister or absurdist comedy and other inappropriate humour.

The result shows that most of the respondents described their loved ones with dementia as experiencing changes in humour over nine years before they had been diagnosed. Many of the patients tend to laugh at tragic events in the news or in their personal lives.

Researchers also discovered that dementia patients preferred satirical humour. The patients were compared with 21 healthy, old volunteers.

"These were marked changes - completely inappropriate humour well beyond the realms of even distasteful humour. For example, one man laughed when his wife badly scalded herself," said Dr Camilla Clark, lead researcher at the UCL Dementia Research Centre, in a press release.

Dr Simon Ridley, from the Alzheimer's Research U.K., said that the study could potentially help improve the ability of experts to make a timely and accurate diagnosis. However, more studies are required to fully understand how experts would rely on changes in humour for diagnosis of dementia.

"A deeper understanding of the full range of dementia symptoms will increase our ability to make a timely and accurate diagnosis," Ridley said. “This study highlights the importance of looking at the myriad different symptoms that impact on daily life and relationships."

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