New Checklist Could Mean Early Alzheimer's, Dementia Diagnosis

Patients who show behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer's and dementia, like anxiety and confusion, could potentially soon be diagnosed even earlier.

A checklist for patients with mild behavioral impairment, a new diagnosis proposed at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2016 in Toronto, could help doctors record behavioral changes that indicate early signs of neurodegeneration.

Researchers defined mild behavioral impairment as neuropsychiatric symptoms that appear later in life and last for at least six months. The checklist examines five categories of behavioral symptoms: apathy/drive/motivation; mood/affect/anxiety; impulse control/agitation/reward; social appropriateness; and thoughts/perception, according to a press release. Mild behavioral impairment, or MBI, would precede mild cognitive impairment, a diagnosis that describes people who experience cognitive problems but can still perform most daily functions.

"This proposed new checklist describes and helps identify a new clinical stage in the disease and has the potential to represent a paradigm shift in formal neurodegeneration testing -- away from a sole focus on the memory to also encompass behavior," Maria C. Carrillo, chief science officer of the Alzheimer's Association, said in a statement. "By looking beyond memory-related issues to closely evaluate the behavioral issues included in the checklist, physicians could reach a more efficient and accurate diagnosis, sooner."

The questionnaire asks, for example: "Has the person become agitated, aggressive, irritable, or temperamental?" and "Does she/he have unrealistic beliefs about her/his power, wealth or skills?"

The checklist could be effective clinically, and an offshoot could even offer a way for families to track older relatives' symptoms. It could also be used in research, examining pre- dementia clinical states, community sample epidemiological studies and clinical observational studies, according to study author Zahinoor Ismail from the University of Calgary in the same statement.

About 5.1 million Americans could have Alzheimer's disease, according to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America.

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David Oliver is Associate Editor, Social Media at U.S. News & World Report. Follow him on Twitter, connect with him on LinkedIn, or send him an email at doliver@usnews.com.