It has been over 100 years since Dr. Alois Alzheimer published a report describing the disease that carries his name. Yet, decades passed before scientists began re-exploring this common condition. It has been only in the last 25 years (see timeline) that researchers, utilizing exciting new tools in the fields of brain imaging, genetics, and biochemistry have been able to accelerate our knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
| 1906 | German neuropathologist and psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer describes plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain of a dementia patient |
| 1976 | Biochemical changes in the brain associated with AD are discovered, paving the way for the drugs in use today |
| 1884 | Beta amyloid protein is identified in AD plaques |
| 1986 | Tau protein is identified in neurofibrillary tangles |
| 1992 | Mutations of the gene that codes for Beta amyloid are identified in several families |
| 1993 | Apolipoprotein E gene form is linked to Alzheimer's disease. |
| 1993 | The first drug (Tacrine) is approved for treatment |
| 2002 | Clinical trial of anti-amyloid vaccine is conducted |
| 2003 | Mementine is approved for treatment of AD |
| 2004 | Amyloid imaging by PET scan described |
Though much has been learned about AD, much still remains to be discovered.. Investigators from the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health have been actively involved in AD research and are at the forefront of the search for better means of detecting, following and treating AD.