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Simple Tests for Beginning Alzheimers Symptoms

Some of the earliest symptoms of mild Alzheimer's disease are memory loss and cognitive problems, confusion, problems with attention and mood swings, changes in personality and language difficulties. Unfortunately, these are also the symptoms of many other neurodegenerative diseases, complicating the ability to make a correct diagnosis. Researchers are working to develop simple tests that can confirm an Alzheimer's diagnosis and allow treatment to begin earlier.

  1. Word Test

    • In 2005, a study was reported in "Neuropsychologia" in which researchers tested 96 people diagnosed with Alzheimer's and compared the results to 40 healthy people. Test subjects were first given one minute to list as many animals as they could remember. Subjects were then asked to list as many types of fruit they could think of in a second timed test.

      Researchers found that healthy test subjects were able to list 20 to 25 words in each test, but patients with Alzheimer's could remember only 10 to 15 words. The Alzheimer's patients were unable to remember words learned later in life but could remember words learned in early childhood. This pattern was so consistent that researchers were able to determine which subjects had Alzheimer's based on this word loss.

    Smell Test

    • Researchers at the Memory Disorders Center of the New York State Psychiatric Institute have developed a simple scratch-and-sniff smell test that shows promise in detecting early Alzheimer's. Its five-year study followed 150 people with mild memory loss and 63 healthy adults. At least once a year, both groups tried to identify 10 smells (lemon, leather, lilac, natural gas, pineapple, clove, menthol, smoke, soap, and strawberry). The research showed that the patients with memory loss that scored lower on the test were more likely to develop Alzheimer's. D.P. Devanand, one of the researchers involved, told ScienCenter, "Identifying smells involves not only perceiving the smell but comparing against your bank of smells in the brain. People lost their memories for the smells that they had all their lives."

    Laser Eye Test

    • Researchers are working on a non-invasive eye test that uses a low-power laser to scan the eye for malformed amyloid beta proteins. These proteins are hallmarks of Alzheimer's. In 2003, it was discovered that these proteins are present in the lens and fluid of the eyes of Alzheimer's patients, and it has since been learned that in mice, the proteins can be found in the eyes before they accumulate in the brain. If clinical trials are successful, it's hoped that the test could be done at a reasonable cost as part of a regular physical exam.

    Skin Test

    • Another test that shows promise is a skin test that would identify chemical changes, making it possible to distinguish between early Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases. Research done at the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute in Rockville, Md., found that a specific ratio of two related proteins known as ERK1 and ERK2 can be found in tissue from Alzheimer's patients. Researchers were able to test tissue samples taken from 56 patients whose Alzheimer's diagnosis had been confirmed at autopsy. The test results were compared to those of 30 patients who had died from other brain diseases. The ratio between the proteins was distinctive and consistent in the Alzheimer's patients.

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