Australian researchers reported they have developed a skin test using lasers that could offer early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

The test, which combines laser technology and a mild electrical current that activate a chemical to assess blood flow, detects restrictions associated with Alzheimer's, Melbourne University researcher Zeinab Khalil told a conference organized by tne Australian Neuroscience Society.

"We concluded that the test has potential clinical utility as an early diagnostic marker of Alzheimer's disease," she said.

"We have funding support from the National Health and Medical Research Council, and it's hoped the skin test can become a public screening measure in the near future," she said.

Other sources: Melbourne Age