Memory test could predict dementia decade before symptoms start

By Mark Waghorn via SWNS

A simple memory test could predict dementia at least a decade before symptoms start, according to new research.

Those who performed poorly were three times as likely to develop cognitive impairment.

The tool opens the door to lifestyle changes or medications being prescribed when they are most likely to work.

Lead author Dr. Ellen Grober, of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York, said: "There is increasing evidence that some people with no thinking and memory problems may actually have very subtle signs of early cognitive impairment.

"In our study, a sensitive and simple memory test predicted the risk of developing cognitive impairment in people who were otherwise considered to have normal cognition."

Drugs trials have failed to date because patients are recruited once Alzheimer's or other forms of the disease have already taken hold.

The study involved 969 people with an average age of 69 with no thinking or memory problems at the outset.

Participants were divided into five groups, or stages zero through four, based on test scores, as part of the SOMI (Stages of Objective Memory Impairment) system.
They were followed for up to 10 years.

People who were at stages three and four were three times as likely to develop cognitive impairment.

Stage zero represents no memory problems. Stages one and two reflect increasing difficulty with retrieving memories which can precede dementia by five to eight years.

These participants continue to be able to remember items when given cues. In the third and fourth stages, people cannot remember all the items even after they are given cues. These stages precede dementia by one to three years.

After adjusting for Alzheimer's biomarkers including rogue brain proteins called beta amyloid and tau, the SOMI system continued to predict an increased risk.

Researchers estimated that after 10 years about 72 percent of those in the third and fourth stages would have developed cognitive impairment.

This was compared to 57, 35 and 21 percent of those in stage 2, 1 and zero, respectively.

Dr. Grober said: "Our results support the use of the SOMI system to identify people most likely to develop cognitive impairment.

"Detecting cognitive impairment at its earliest stages is beneficial to researchers investigating treatments.

"It also could benefit those people who are found to be at increased risk by consulting with their physician and implementing interventions to promote healthy brain aging."

In the test people are shown four cards, each with drawings of four items. They are asked to identify the item belonging to a particular category.

For example, participants would name the item 'grapes' after being asked to identify a "fruit."

Participants are also asked to recall the items. This measures their ability to retrieve information. Then, for items they did not remember, they are given category cues. This phase measures memory storage.

Almost half (47 percent) of the participants were in stage zero, 35 percent in stage one, 13 percent in stage two and five percent in stages three and four combined.

Of the participants, 234 people developed cognitive impairment. The U.S. team took into account potentially aggravating factors including age, gender, education and a gene mutation known as APOE4 that increases a carrier's risk of Alzheimer's disease.

The number of dementia cases worldwide will triple to more than 150 million by 2050. Early diagnosis is seen as key to combating the crisis.

The study was published in the journal Neurology.