A new test for Alzheimer’s risk?

Failures in visual short-term memory of objects, what scientists call “iconic memory,” could reveal people at risk of Alzheimer’s disease, a new study finds. Iconic memory is the image that lingers in the mind’s eye after a person sees something briefly.

To find out whether iconic memories are lost more readily in people with mild cognitive impairments—which include slightly diminished capacity to solve problems and keep track of time—researchers tested 11 study participants with such deficits and 16 without them.