New research suggests testing people’s memory over four weeks could identify who is at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease before it has developed. Importantly, the trial found testing people’s ability to retain memories for longer time periods could predict this more accurately than classic memory tests, which test memory over half an hour.
The study, led by researchers at the University of Bristol and published in Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy, wanted to find out whether testing people’s memory of a word list four weeks after they were initially read it could predict who will experience the most cognitive decline over the following year, even if they have no cognitive or memory problems to begin with.