Credit: UTHSC Memphis, Tenn. (February 25, 2021) - Early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease has been shown to reduce cost and improve patient outcomes, but current diagnostic approaches can be invasive and costly. A recent study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, has found a novel way to identify a high potential for developing Alzheimer's disease before symptoms occur. Ray Romano, PhD, RN, completed the research as part of his PhD in the Nursing Science Program at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Graduate Health Sciences. Dr. Romano conducted the research through the joint laboratory of Associate Professor Todd Monroe, PhD, RN, at The Ohio State University, who is also a graduate of the UTHSC Nursing Science PhD Program, and Ronald Cowan, MD, PhD, who is the chair of Psychiatry at UTHSC. The study is titled, "Could altered pain responsiveness be a phenotypic biomarker for Alzheimer's risk? A cross-sectional analysis of cognitively healthy adults."