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Of all the health issues that loom large with age, memory loss is among those that provoke the most worry. A big reason is the uncertainty: people often wonder if their occasional memory slips are just a normal part of growing old or early signs of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, the most common form of dementia. A study, , sheds some light鈥攁nd perhaps offers a bit of reassurance鈥攁bout the connection between self-reported memory loss and a diagnosis of dementia.

The study included 531 people with an average age of 73 and no signs of Alzheimer鈥檚 or signs of dementia. They took memory and thinking tests every year for an average of 10 years. Researchers also asked participants if they noticed any changes in their memory over the past year. Slightly more than half reported memory changes, at an average age of 82.

About 1 in 6 developed dementia during the study, and 80% of those had previously reported memory changes. But it took about nine years from the first self-report of a memory change, a possible early sign of dementia, to a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment, an intermediate stage between normal memory loss and dementia. The transition to dementia usually took about 12 years.

That relatively long time period means that if you notice troubling memory changes, there鈥檚 no cause for immediate alarm, as the study authors note (see 鈥淢emory loss warning signs: When should you worry?鈥�). That period could offer a window for intervention during those first early signs of dementia, but we don鈥檛 yet have any proven therapies to prevent or stop Alzheimer鈥檚 disease or other memory-related illnesses.

Still, this study is a valuable addition to our understanding of Alzheimer鈥檚 progression, says neuropsychologist Rebecca Amariglio, PhD, an instructor in neurology at Harvard Medical School. 鈥淲e鈥檙e never going to cure or delay Alzheimer鈥檚 if we don鈥檛 start to identify what goes on early in the disease. Early intervention is where things are headed,鈥� says Amariglio, who studies early indicators of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease.

If you鈥檙e concerned about your memory, see a doctor and get a baseline assessment. It can be used as a comparison in the future. If you鈥檙e between 65 and 85 years of age and have normal memory and thinking skills, you might be eligible to enroll in large, nationwide study to test a new investigational treatment to slow memory loss cause by Alzheimer鈥檚 disease. You can learn more about the 鈥淎4鈥� (Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer鈥檚) study, led by Harvard Medical School professor of neurology Dr. Reisa Sperling, at .

Memory loss warning signs: When should you worry?

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