A test on a saliva sample collected from a patient could help detect Alzheimer's disease, says a study presented at Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, July 19.

The author of the study Shraddha Sapkota, a neuroscience graduate student at the University of Alberta in Canada, reported in the news release: "Saliva is easily obtained, safe and affordable, and has promising potential for predicting and tracking cognitive decline, but we're in the very early stages of this work and much more research is needed," according to CBS News.

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The researchers tested salivary samples of 22 people suffering from Alzheimer's disease, 25 samples of people with mild to moderate cognitive impairment and 35 healthy individuals who had no signs of the disease. The results showed that salivary samples of people with Alzheimer's disease had some substances that were not present in the samples of healthy people as well as those with cognitive impairment, according to Philly.

The investigators analysed the saliva samples using a technique called protein analysis technology which analysed 6000 metabolites that are smaller in size than the by-products of chemical reaction in the brain, reported CNN.

Though experts agreed that the results are promising they noted that the study is in the preliminary stage and needs further in-depth research. Dr Allison Reiss, head of the Inflammation Section at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y., said that the preliminary study included only limited participants and it is too early to come to a conclusion with these study results.

Reiss explained that there is no information on the coexisting illness, hydration state, medications used, use of tobacco and other variables related to factors influencing saliva in the study. She added, "There are many gaps in the evidence." Reiss also noted, "It is uncertain whether the strength and consistency of the relationship between these metabolites [in saliva] and Alzheimer's risk will be maintained in a large multicenter study."

Meanwhile, Dr. Paul Wright, chair of neurology at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., noted that the study is still in infant state but looks quite promising.

TagsAlzheimer's Disease, Saliva test, Cognitive Impairment, Symptoms of Alzheimers, Test for Alzheimers