Among the many troubling aspects of Alzheimer's disease is that there is, at present, no predictive test for it.

The only way to diagnose it with certainty is by the onset of dementia and at autopsy, where the characteristic plaques are seen on brain examination.

Dr. D.P. Devenand, professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Neurology at Columbia University, presented the results of his study on a predictive test for Alzheimer's at the American College of Psychopharmacology annual meeting earlier this month.

His findings: mildly impaired patients who later develop Alzheimer's disease have difficulty smelling common odors.

Thus, the smell test may become a cheap, fast, and effective way of predicting who is at risk for the disease, at least allowing some measure of preparation on the part of those affected and their families.

The screening test uses the following 10 odors:

• Clove

• Leather

• Lemon

• Lilac

• Menthol

• Natural gas

• Pineapple

• Smoke

• Soap

• Strawberry