The early warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease are plentiful and easy to detect.

Sleep disruption, trouble planning simple tasks, changes in speech patterns and depression, if they appear suddenly, are some of those signs.

Of course, these things don’t always signal impending Alzheimer’s.

But “senior moments” are something we should pay a lot more attention to…

In the past, some experts dismissed moments like forgetting where you put your keys moments after putting them down as normal aging.

But new research suggests senior moment memory problems may be our biggest warning sign that something more serious is on the way…

How we’ve predicted Alzheimer’s up til now

In recent years, Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination III (ACE-III) has been considered a gold standard test for early detection of mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s. It tests the ability to recall a word list 30 minutes after reading it.

Asking people to remember three tasks they’d performed four weeks ago was an even better predictor of cognitive decline than the ACE-III.

Now, researchers have found there’s an even simpler way to predict brain changes that signal the onset of Alzheimer’s…

Subjective cognitive decline is a strong predictor

Subjective cognitive decline is when a person reports memory and thinking problems before any decline is large enough to be caught in standard testing.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School conducted a study involving 675 adults with an average age of 72 who did not show evidence of cognitive impairment on formal tests.

In 60 percent of them, brain scans showed elevated levels of amyloid plaques, meaning they were at risk of developing the tau tangles that are a hallmark of the Alzheimer’s brain.

Each participant had a study partner — a spouse, adult child or friend — who could answer questions about the participant’s thinking and memory skills and ability to perform daily tasks.

For example, each participant and their partner were asked, “Compared to one year ago, do you (or does he/she) have more difficulty managing money?” or “Compared to one year ago, do you feel that your (their) memory has declined substantially?”

Researchers found that participants with higher levels of tau tangles in their brains had higher scores of memory complaints on the questionnaire. Their partners’ answers also scored them higher — validating the complaints. This association was stronger in participants who had elevated levels of amyloid plaques.

“Our findings suggest that asking older people who have elevated Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers about subjective cognitive decline may be valuable for early detection.

“This is particularly important since it is predicted that treatments given at the earliest diagnosable form of the disease will be the most effective in slowing the disease,” says study author Dr. Rebecca Amariglio.

Why early diagnosis is crucial

Alzheimer’s isn’t just about memory loss. It’s the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and the fifth leading cause of death among people aged 65 and older.

Early diagnosis allows people to take some control over how they live the rest of their lives while they are still cognitively aware enough to do so, and spend valuable time with loved ones.

Talk to your loved ones, especially those who might spend the most time with you. Help them understand the idea of subjective cognitive decline, and how important it is for them to be truthful with you or your doctor if they perceive any changes in your memory.

Also, at the earliest signs of a slipping memory, you can implement some lifestyle changes that could slow the trajectory, including:

But don’t wait for a “senior moment” to creep up on you. Get started today — and depending on your level of commitment, you might see changes as dramatic as the man beating Alzheimer’s did.

Sources:

First hints of memory problems associated with changes in the brain — Eureka Alert

Associations Between Self and Study Partner Report of Cognitive Decline With Regional Tau in a Multicohort Study — Neurology

Testing Memory Over Four Weeks Could Predict Alzheimer’s Disease Risk — Neuroscience News