"Its still very early but scientists say a test based on a patients saliva might someday help detect Alzheimers disease. Saliva is easily obtained safe and affordable and has promising potential for predicting and tracking cognitive decline but were in the very early stages of this work and much more research is needed study author Shraddha Sapkota a neuroscience graduate student at the University of Alberta in Canada said in a news release from the Alzheimers Association. The study was to be presented Sunday at the Alzheimers Association International Conference in Washington D.C. Experts note that studies presented at medical meetings are typically considered preliminary until published in a peerreviewed journal. In the study Sapkotas team tested the saliva of  people with Alzheimers disease  people with whats known as mild cognitive impairment a decline in memory and thinking thats sometimes a precursor to dementia as well as  people whose mental skills were normal for their age.  They found that the saliva of people with Alzheimers had different levels of certain substances compared to the saliva of healthy people or those with mild cognitive impairment. Experts agreed that the findings held promise but much more research will be needed. This is a very preliminary study with a small number of subjects and the results are far from conclusive said Dr. Allison Reiss head of the Inflammation Section at WinthropUniversity Hospital in Mineola N.Y. She believes the current study lacks information on possible confounding factors  things such as coexisting illnesses medications hydration state tobacco use and multiple other variables that could influence whats found in the saliva samples. There are many gaps in the evidence Reiss said. It is uncertain whether the strength and consistency of the relationship between these metabolites in saliva and Alzheimers risk will be maintained in a large multicenter study. Still Dr. Paul Wright chair of neurology at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset N.Y. said the research is still in its infancy but very promising. If a saliva test lives up to its promise one advantage is the ease of obtaining a sample he said. But that convenience also brings its own problems Wright added. People might ask for a test even when they dont show any signs of dementia and this may result in anxiety and depression if there is a false positive result he said. For that reason larger studies are needed to corroborate and validate their findings Wright said. More information The U.S. National Institute on Aging has more about Alzheimers disease https SOURCES Paul Wright M.D. chair neurology North Shore University Hospital Manhasset N.Y. and Long Island Jewish Medical Center New Hyde Park N.Y. Allison Reiss M.D. head Inflammation Section WinthropUniversity Hospital Mineola N.Y. Alzheimers Association news release July"