In 1960 a test was conducted called Project Talent. The test consisted of questions about academics, home lives, health, personality traits and aspirations as well as general knowledge. With over 440,000 students the test took two and half days to administer and complete. The Project Talent test was funded by the U.S. government.

Fifty-eight years later the results from the students who took the test are still being used by researchers. They have been able to use the answers in recents studies to fight against Alzheimers disease. The study found out that students who did well on the test questions had a lower chance of Alzheimer’s in their 60’s than students who scored poorly.

A recent study conducted by researchers at the American Institute for Research (AIR) found that poor scores on the tests could be possible signs for early dementia in adolescence. The study looked at the scores that covered over 17 areas of cognitive ability. It would test on language, math, visual, abstract reasoning, and clerical skills. The students that had lower scores were more prone to developing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in their 60’s. Those that specifically scored lower on mechanical reasoning and memory words had a higher risk at developing these diseases as well.