Detecting Alzheimer's Early: When Forgetfulness Becomes a Warning Sign

World Alzheimer's Day on September 21 / Lifestyle Can Influence the Risk of Alzheimer's / Early Diagnosis Opens Up New Treatment Options

Not every instance of forgetfulness is a sign of Alzheimer's. However, if familiar routines no longer work, the person has difficulty orienting themselves, or family members notice significant changes, the cause should be evaluated by a doctor. Even though Alzheimer’s disease cannot be prevented with certainty, there are modifiable factors associated with a lower risk of developing the disease. These include exercise, treating high blood pressure and diabetes, not smoking, and engaging in mental and social activities. The Department of Neurology and Neuroscience at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg highlights these points on the occasion of World Alzheimer’s Day on September 21.

“Forgetfulness is a completely normal, physiological process,” says Prof. Dr. Heinz Wiendl, Medical Director of the Department of Neurology and Neuroscience at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg. “The key is to take changes seriously when they interfere with daily life. Early diagnosis has become particularly important in the case of Alzheimer’s because new therapies can only be used in the early stages of the disease.”

Walking, Learning, Laughing, Loving

Wiendl uses the “four Ls” to summarize what benefits brain health: Walking stands for physical activity, learning for mental activity, and laughing and loving for well-being and social connection. Added to this are getting enough sleep and managing risk factors such as high blood pressure or diabetes. “These factors are also linked to the risk of Alzheimer’s,” says Wiendl. However, it is not possible to predict precisely to what extent individual people can reduce their personal risk of developing the disease through these measures.

Early diagnosis has also become more important because the treatment of Alzheimer’s is currently evolving. Since September 2025, the Medical Center – University of Freiburg has, for the first time, made available therapeutic treatments—Donanemab and Lecanemab—that can slow the progression of the disease in selected patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s. However, this form of therapy cannot cure Alzheimer’s, and abilities that have already been lost cannot be restored. 

“Patients for whom we began treatment a year ago are generally already benefiting today. Their cognitive abilities remain largely stable, whereas without the medication they would have continued to decline. This difference grows larger over time. For the individuals themselves, this is often not immediately noticeable because nothing actually changes,” says Wiendl.

Prerequisites for this treatment include an early stage of the disease, accurate neurological and genetic diagnosis, and the absence of a need to take strong blood thinners. The two-week infusion therapy is supplemented by regular follow-up visits. Further information is available from the Memory Clinic and Dementia Outpatient Clinic at the Department of Neurology and Neuroscience at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg.