Significant Changes to Guidelines for Alzheimer's Disease

Individuals who experience preclinical Alzheimer’s disease do have measurable alterations in cerebrospinal fluid, brain, and/or blood biomarkers which may show the earliest possible sign of this condition. However, they might not have yet formed symptoms like memory loss.

The presymptomatic or preclinical phase does reflect on the patient's thinking, where Alzheimer's disease-related alterations could happen 20 years prior the symptoms actually showing. While the criteria for this state occur, it’s not being utilized by most doctors routinely. But before doctors and specialists start to utilize this term universally, it still needs more research in the field of biomarkers, as well as their prognostic value since tests would foretell the development of dementia. When that happens, they could render a certain diagnosis of the preclinical condition among their patients.