Alzheimer’s disease is characterized, first, by a slowly progressive decline in short-term memory and, later, a decline in other brain skills. Mild cognitive impairment is characterized by a milder decline in memory and is the precursor of more severe memory loss in some. A recent study from the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center was published in Archives of Neurology. The results demonstrated that by current diagnostic standards, mild cognitive impairment is preceded by a 7 year decline in short-term memory. As with any potentially progressive disorder (e.g., diabetes, cancer) treatments are more effective if started as early as possible.

The Rush study consists of more than 2000 elderly individuals who had their memory and other thinking skills assessed annually since 1994 and 1997. In other words, the study treated memory like we treat medical evaluation. Most of us have annual evaluations by our physicians during which we are interviewed, given a physical, and have lab work.

The Rush study did annual evaluations of memory for its participants. Memory was evaluated – not screened – by rigorous assessment that first produced a baseline measure of memory strength. Then each year memory was again measured and compared to the first assessment just as blood sugars can be compared during annual physicals. This allows you to be compared to yourself rather than group norms. This is a very sensitive method of measurement that allows you to detect changes in memory very early when you can do something about it.

I recall one lady who I assessed because her mother had Alzheimer’s disease and she wanted to be proactive about her future. On her first testing, she was able to recall all 16 words from the memory test – a rare occurrence in the several hundred memory evaluations that I have completed. Over the next ten years, she showed a progressive pattern of decline in short term memory to the point where she had an average memory for her age rather than a superior one. We would never have known if we hadn’t done multiple assessments. We developed a personalized treatment plan that included life planning and progressive shoring up of her short term memory. She was very pleased with both the process and the outcome.

The good news is that the earliest changes for those who will develop Alzheimer’s disease will occur in short term (new learning) and working memory (multi-tasking) and occur years before current medical methods can detect them. These memory skills can be measured and followed over time – just like with serial medical assessments for blood sugar, thyroid function, etc. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking there is nothing you can do for memory loss. There is so much you can do if you measure early and track your memory over time. My associates, Dr. Steve Saldukas and Dr. Karen Bilter, and I continue to be available for assessments. We are also developing treatment programs to help not only those with changes in memory but also for those who are their partners.