Short-term memory loss and other signs of mild cognitive impairment appear to be a better Alzheimer’s disease predictor than levels of cerebrospinal fluid proteins and other biomarkers, according to a new study.

The study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, involved 116 participants with mild cognitive impairment who went on to develop Alzheimer’s within two years, 204 with MCI who didn’t get the brain-wasting disease, and 197 people without cognitive difficulties, Health Day reports.

Researchers collected samples of cerebrospinal fluid, used magnetic resonance imaging to determine brain volume and cortical thickness, and did other testing of biomarkers. They also measured levels of MCI, which in addition to short-term memory loss can involve lapses of poor judgment, difficulty getting around familiar places, unusual demonstrations of aggression, and depression.

Two measures of MCI and cortical thickness of the brain’s left middle temporal lobe were associated with a greater risk of the delayed memory condition leading to Alzheimer’s, scientists determined.

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