Long-winded speech could be early sign of Alzheimer's disease, says study

Research finds distinctive language deficits in people with mild cognitive impairment, a precursor to dementia

Rambling and long-winded anecdotes could be an early sign of Alzheimer's disease, according to research that suggests subtle changes in speech style occur years before the more serious mental decline takes hold.

The scientists behind the work said it may be possible to detect these changes and predict if someone is at risk more than a decade before meeting the threshold for an Alzheimer's diagnosis.