What was also striking was that those who started with a higher cognitive baseline actually gained the most benefits from exercise.

Ambrose led another study that followed 155 women, aged 65 to 75, over the course of a year, who did either strength training or balance and toning exercises.

"You would think if you had more impairment, you would have more improvement, but this says the opposite. This highlights that resistance training improves cognition, but you really have to consider a person's cognitive abilities," said Ambrose.

According to the Alzheimer's Association, 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's today. It's the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. By 2050, that number of people with Alzheimer's in the United States is expected to nearly triple to 16 million. The cost of caring for all those people is estimated to top $1 trillion dollars each year.

Which is why early detection is so key.

Several studies released at the convention pointed to the effectiveness of gait measurement as a predictor for dementia.

Falling has already been identified as one of the early indicator's of Alzheimer's, but several new studies show that how we walk may also be an early sign for a decline in cognitive function.

Three studies, presented at the conference, surveyed more than 1,000 people each -- the largest of their kind -- and all found that slower and irregular gait was associated with some cognitive impairment.

But many researchers, including neurologist, Dr. Lisa Silbert, of the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon, warned it wasn't a diagnosis.

"Some degree of motor slowing is also likely a part of the aging process."