Now, it is possible to find Alzheimer's disease before it strikes. A new study has suggested that the disease, which accounts for 60% to 70% of cases of dementia, can be detected many years before onset with the help of a virtual reality test.

The study included people aged 18 to 30. The participants were asked to take a virtual maze test to check the function of certain brain cells. Neuroscientists from Germany said that people who could be at high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease could be recognized through their performance.

The study published in the journal Science suggested that the new findings could provide help in diagnosis, treatment and future treatment. While providing details about the study, Lukas Kunz, a researcher from the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases, and other researchers said that people with high risk navigated the virtual maze differently than other participants.

The high risk group also had reduced functioning of brain cells in spatial navigation, as per the researchers. They also said that the finding could help in determining why it is difficult for people with dementia to navigate the world around them.

"Our results could provide a new basic framework for preclinical research on Alzheimer's disease and may provide a neurocognitive explanation of spatial disorientation in Alzheimer's disease", as per the study published in Science.

According to Dr Laura Phipps, the study was focused on people, who were healthy but at higher genetic risk of Alzheimer's. The findings have suggested that those people may already show alterations in spatial navigation years before the disease starts, Phipps added.