The short answer is no. There are two tests of which I am aware that have received some press. One is a take home test and the other is a genetic test.

First, there is a scratch and sniff test. The test is simple; you buy a kit and scratch to see if your sense of smell is adequate. This test is based on the findings that many people with Alzheimer’s disease have noted changes in the senses of taste and smell. This stems from the fact that the short-term memory circuits (i.e., the hippocampus) are next to the brain circuits for taste and smell (i.e., rhinal cortex).

Often pathology (e.g., head injury, Alzheimer’s disease) in this region of the brain also may affect the abilities to learn new things, to smell, and/or taste. However, there are many factors other than brain disease that can affect taste and smell such as smoking, sinus infections and tumors. Therefore, this home test is not diagnostic for Alzheimer’s disease.

The most known genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease is the “Apolipoprotein” gene. There are three forms (alleles) of this gene — E2, E3 and E4. You obtain one of these gene types from each of your parents. You may have any of a number of combinations such as E4/E4, E4/E3, E4/E2, and so on. Research has associated the E4 genotype with higher risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer’s disease and the E2 genotype with lower risk.

But association does not mean cause and effect. Having the Apolipoprotein E4 is not a genetic time bomb. You may have two E4s and not get Alzheimer’s disease and you may have two E2s and get the disease. This genotyping is a research tool but is clearly not diagnostic or predictive in individual cases. This is a susceptibility gene that may contribute to late onset Alzheimer’s disease. It is not a deterministic gene.

The greatest risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s disease remains age. If you live to be 85 or older, you have approximately a 50 percent chance of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. There is no reliable biological marker for determining who will get Alzheimer’s disease. If you have any risk factors (e.g., age, family history, head injury, late onset depression) your best protection is to have routine memory evaluations (not screenings but rather thorough memory testing) to track your short-term memory just as you monitor cholesterol or blood sugars with annual physicals. The best, most effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease is tracking and managing short-term memory and staying engaged in life.