From the NYT:

This new tool measures what the researchers call “cognitive vital signs” like short-term memory loss, which is the most important early sign of Alzheimer’s, and detects declines in everyday abilities like using a telephone, preparing meals or managing finances. The quiz also picks up behavioral warning signs including apathy, irritability and depression.

“If somebody is failing these cognitive tests, they already have the characteristics of the disease,” says Jeffrey Cummings, director of the Alzheimer Disease Center at U.C.L.A., “just in a very early and mild form.” Cummings says the quiz reliably shows when a person crosses the line between normal mental life and the mild cognitive impairment found in early Alzheimer’s, but adds that anyone who fails should get a detailed follow-up exam.

Filed under: Health • Science

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