Signs of Alzheimer's disease show up in spinal fluid even as mild memory problems start to appear, according to new research.

Several substances known as biomarkers create a specific profile in the fluid, according researchers from Sahlgrenska Academy in Sweden.

"The earlier we can catch Alzheimer's disease, the more we can do for the patient. The disease is one that progresses slowly, and the pharmaceuticals that are currently available are only able to alleviate the symptoms," researcher Kaj Blennow said in a news release.

Blennow said that patients who showed the profile for Alzheimer's disease were 27 times more likely to have mental deterioration than a control group. The study was based on samples from 168 patients.

"Our discovery that an analysis of biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid can reveal Alzheimer's disease at a very early stage will have major significance if the new type of pharmaceutical that can directly slow the progression of the disease proves to have a clinical effect. It is important in this case to start treatment before the changes in the brain have become too severe," said Blennow.

The results were published in the journal Lancet Neurology.