Functional near-infrared spectroscopy and vagus somatosensory evoked potentials add to the power of established parameters such as poor cognitive performance, dsyosmia and APOe genotype to predict cognitive decline over 8 years in the elderly.

Alzheimer's dementia is the main cause of cognitive impairment in people over the age of 65, with Alzheimer's disease starting presumably 10-15 years before the onset of clinical symptoms. It is therefore important to recognize dementia at an early stage and identify possible predictors. The existing methods, like different parameters of ß-Amyloid and Tau quantification in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or the living brain by measure of PET, are invasive and expensive.