Early Detection in Alzheimer’s Disease

Most people with Alzheimer’s (AD) receive a diagnosis late in the disease course, often years after the symptoms have started. This delay in recognition may be due:

1. The general perception in our society that memory loss is a “normal” part of aging
2. The impaired awareness of memory decline by the patient himself
3. Insufficient time spent by the physician
4. No definitive diagnostic test

Early recognition of AD will be critical if we are to realize the maximal effect of therapeutic agents. New techniques to image the brain reveal changes of AD beginning years before symptoms become obvious. As treatments that slow disease progress are developed, they are likely to have a greater impact the earlier in the disease process they are initiated. These advanced techniques are already being used in clinical trials including those at the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.

Exciting work is being done at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, in collaboration with investigators throughout the nation, to come up with a more specific test to identify AD at its earliest stages. Click here for an article about the importance of early detection by Dr. Charles Bernick, associate medical director, Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.

For more information, visit ccf.org/brainhealth or call 702.483.6000 to schedule an appointment at the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.