A simple verbal memory test may be the best way of diagnosing the early onset of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association.

The California Verbal Learning Test, in which subjects are asked to remember 15 common words, basically measures what information has been lost from that originally stored in the brain.

In the test, a list of 15 simple words such as cat, dog and mouse are read to the subjects, who are asked to repeat the words they can remember.

The process is repeated five times. They are then read a different list of 15 words and asked to repeat the process. The test administrator then asks the subject to remember as many of the words on the initial list as possible.

After a 20-minute break, the subject is asked to recall words from the first list.

Mark Boulos, co-author of the paper and a researcher at the University of Toronto, said it was a bit surprising that something that seems so basic could yield such significant results.

But University of Toronto researchers concluded from a year-long study, in which they compared 31 separte studies, that the test offers the clearest means for diagnosing early onset of Alzheimer's.

Other sources: Ottawa Citizen