Looking Ahead: Tests might predict Alzheimer’s risk

In the century since German physician Alois Alzheimer first described the devastating brain disease that bears his name, the illness has resisted cure and its origins have remained elusive. Now, two teams of scientists report that years before symptoms appear, there are indications of who will develop the disease.

U.S. researchers show that brain scans can spot warning signs of cognitive decline, and a Swedish team reports that spinal fluid contains markers of Alzheimer’s risk.