Patient case (clinical description): A 70-year-old man comes to the office accompanied by his wife.  The patient has experienced progressive memory loss over the last years.  He needs help with some of his routine activities, such as paying bills.  The patient's wife says, "He used to be such an independent person, but now he needs help with many things, even finding direction to home!"  Medical history includes hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and type 2 diabetes mellitus.  Family history includes Alzheimer disease in his father.  MRI reveals diffuse cortical and hippocampal atrophy. The diagnosis of AD is made using the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association (NIA-AA) criteria.

Patient's own account: I am a 70-year-old man, and I paid a visit to the doctor with my wife the other day. I noticed that I tend to forget small things and that my memory has decreased over the past few years. I even ask my wife to help me out with my daily routine. I used to be the one paying the bills, but now she has to give me a hand. My wife mentioned to the doctor that I used to be independent and that I tend to forget where we live. I suffer from hypertension, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. My poor dad was suffering from Alzheimer disease, so I hope I'm not going to end the same way! I did an MRI and they found out that some part of my brain was decreasing. I also did an Alzheimer test.

Clinical trial: Screening and Evaluation of Patients With Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease

Eligibility criteria:
-  Patients with signs and symptoms of Alzheimer s disease will be recruited from
             neurological and psychiatric clinics, from self or family referral in response to
             advertisements or from private physicians. Healthy volunteers will be recruited by the
             MIB.

        INCLUSION CRITERIA:

          1. Patients and healthy volunteers must be age 45 or older.

          2. Patients must have a history of progressive memory impairment.

          3. Patients must have a caregiver who is willing to accompany the subject to the NIH.

        EXCLUSION CRITERIA FOR PATIENTS:

          1. The diagnosis of a different type of dementia, including frontotemporal dementia,
             normal pressure hydrocephalus, Lewy body dementia, Parkinson s disease dementia,
             Huntington s disease, or vascular dementia.

          2. Pregnant women. Women of childbearing potential will be screened by history for the
             possibility of pregnancy and undergo a urine pregnancy test.

          3. Any medical contraindication to the procedures performed in the study, or any current
             severe medical or psychiatric illness other than Alzheimer s disease.

          4. Behavioral symptoms that would preclude the gathering of data for the study, or
             advanced disease such that subjects cannot provide assent.

        EXCLUSION CRITERIA FOR CONTROLS:

          1. The diagnosis of a brain disorder.

          2. Pregnant women.

          3. Any medical contraindication to the procedures performed in the study, or any current
             severe medical or psychiatric illness.
No condition on gender to be admitted to the trial.
No healthy subjects accepted to join the trial.
Subject must be at least 45 Years old.


Eligibility (NLI label): Entailment