EurekAlert -- A new test developed by Japanese scientists may revolutionize how and when physicians diagnose Alzheimer’s disease. According to a research report published online in The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org), the new test measures proteins in the spinal fluid known to be one of the main causes of brain degeneration and memory impairment in Alzheimer’s patients: high molecular weight A-Beta oligomers. This tool, once fully implemented, would allow physicians to diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s disease in its early stages, a time when diagnosing the disease is very difficult.