Doctors see potential in early detection testing for Alzheimer's for those who may be at high risk of developing the disease

Illustration showing how tau and amyloid-β linked to dementia, form tangled sticky plaques in the brain

"This is really important for people, particularly if we get to a time when there's one of the treatments that are being tested for Alzheimer's prevention therapies." - Jessica Langbaum.

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Currently, there is no effective drug which reverses the impacts of Alzheimer's.

Though a development in testing may predict the start of Alzheimer's symptoms years in advance. The study shows a blood test can help identify healthy people at high risk for Alzheimer's disease and how far their disease has progressed.

Though Dr Sperling says it's too soon for otherwise healthy people to seek out the test, instead suggesting they stick to proven risk-reduction strategies.