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: PET Scan of Brain Metabolism in Relation to Age and Disease

Eligibility criteria:
NORMAL VOLUNTEERS:

        Age between 18 and 90 years.

        No past or current medical condition that would interfere with brain function.

        No history of alcoholism, psychiatric or neurological illness, head trauma with loss of
        consciousness, history of exposure to central nervous system toxin; history of central
        nervous system infection, metabolic, endocrine, connective tissue disease; hypertension or
        other cardiovascular disorder; abnormal renal, liver or pulmonary function; blood or
        coagulation disease; malignancy; psychopharmacological treatment; neurodegenerative or
        neurodevelopmental disorder; stroke; epilepsy; subjects requiring regular medication, and
        subjects demonstrated by drug screening to have taken a controlled substance.

        No occupational exposure to metal slivers or shavings.

        No females who are pregnant or breast feeding.

        PATIENTS WITH ALZHEIMER DISEASE:

        Age between 18 and 90 years.

        Diagnosis of possible or probably Alzheimer Disease according to NINCDS-ADRDA criteria.

        Aside from Alzheimer Disease, no past or current medical condition that would interfere
        with brain function.

        No history of alcoholism, psychiatric or neurological illness, head trauma with loss of
        consciousness, history of exposure to central nervous system toxin; history of central
        nervous system infection, metabolic, endocrine, connective tissue diseases; hypertension or
        other cardiovascular disorder; abnormal renal, liver or pulmonary function; blood or
        coagulation disease; malignancy; psychopharmacological treatment.

        No females who are pregnant or breast feeding.
No condition on gender to be admitted to the trial.
Accepts Healthy Volunteers



Eligibility (NLI label): Entailment