Encouraging news for people who’s family has a history of Alzheimer’s.

Certain proteins found in cerebrospinal fluid may accurately identify the people with mild cognitive impairment who are most likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, a new study finds. Changes in the chemistry of cerebrospinal fluid have been identified as early signs of Alzheimer’s disease. If and when treatments are available for Alzheimer’s, diagnosing the disease early may help prevent it from developing, experts say. “We confirmed, in a large multi-center study, that proteins in cerebrospinal fluid identify early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, as suggested by previous smaller studies,” said lead researcher Dr. Niklas Mattsson, from the Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Molndal, Sweden. – From Atlanta Journal Constitution