Pre-clinical Alzheimer’s disease begins when early indicators first appear 10 to 15 years before symptoms become noticeable that typically lead to a diagnosis. Close relatives, friends, and even medical professionals usually miss or misinterpret these early indicators.

Future medications to prevent Alzheimer’s or slow its progression will be most effective in this first stage. Researchers consider reversing the disease’s trajectory and recovery to be  unlikely once Alzheimer’s destroys  neurons in the brain.

For Judy, pre-diagnosis dates back to 2004, nine years prior to real symptoms.