As people age, they experience some changes in what they remember and how they think and learn.
But a new study shows that some of these changes -- if significant -- may be a predictor of the form of dementia known as Alzheimer's, and the warning signs may come years before the diagnosis.
Channel 4 Action News anchor Sally Wiggin reported that the study out of the University of Kansas followed more than 400 adults for almost six years.
The results -- published in the
Archives of Neurology -- show that cognitive abilities other than memory are affected by Alzheimer's.
"What they found was, after neuropsychological testing, there were areas of cognition where they showed a steeper decline, and this occurred three or more years before a clinical diagnosis of dementia," said Dr. Ronan Factora, of the Cleveland Clinic.
The areas of thinking that became impaired included something called visuospatial skills.
Dr. Judy Saxton, a neuropsychologist at the University of Pittsburgh, said visuospatial means "moving through the world in three dimensions" -- in other words, tasks like getting dressed, putting on a shirt or finding the correct road while driving or walking.
Kansas researchers checked out 444 people from 1979 to 2006. None had dementia in the beginning of the study. All of the participants were tested for thought process, verbal memory, working memory and visuospatial skills.
Results showed 134 people developed dementia, and all had shown a decline in visuospatial from tests three years before the diagnosis.
There was also a decline in thought process two years before the diagnosis.
This helps in developing future treatment for Alzheimer's, but experts warn that normal signs of aging shouldn't be confused with dementia.
"If you have a consistent problem with cognition, doing day-to-day activities, things you did before without difficulty, that is when you should be concerned and bring this up with your doctor," Saxton said.
Saxton calls them significant changes. An example would be getting lost while driving and then being unable to figure out how to get back.
Saxton agrees that everyone experiences changes as they get older -- like misplacing keys, or driving down the road and having to think, "Where am I going?" But her advice is not to sweat the small stuff of life.
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