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: Korean Brain Aging Study for Early Diagnosis and Prediction of Alzheimer's Disease

Eligibility criteria:
Participants will be classified as either Alzheimer's disease(AD) group, mild cognitive
        impairment(MCI) group, elderly normal controls or young normal controls. Specific inclusion
        criteria for each group is described below.

        [Inclusion criteria: AD]

          -  Age : 55 - 90

          -  Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR)=0.5 or 1

          -  Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV(DSM-IV) criteria for dementia

          -  National Institute of Aging and the Alzheimer's Association (NIA-AA) Probable AD
             dementia

          -  Study partner or caregiver to accompany patient to all scheduled visits

          -  Written informed consent

        [Inclusion criteria: MCI (amnestic)]

          -  Age : 55 - 90

          -  Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR)=0.5

          -  Concern regarding a change in cognition (obtained from the subject, from an informant
             who knows the subject, or from a skilled clinician observing the subject)

          -  Lower performance in episodic memory domains that is greater than would be expected
             for the subject's age and educational background

          -  Preservation of independence in functional abilities

          -  Study partner or caregiver to accompany subject to all scheduled visits

          -  Written informed consent

        [Inclusion criteria: Elderly normal controls]

          -  Age : 55 - 90

          -  Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR)=0

          -  Those with contactable Informant

          -  Written informed consent

        [Inclusion criteria: Young normal controls]

          -  Age : 20 - 55

          -  Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR)=0

          -  Written informed consent

        [Exclusion criteria: general]

          -  Past history or presence of major psychiatric illness (e.g. schizophrenia, bipolar
             disorder, alcohol/substance abuse or dependence, delirium)

          -  Significant neurologic or medical condition that can influence the mental state

          -  Contraindications for MRI scan (e.g. pacemaker, claustrophobia)

          -  Illiteracy

          -  Significant visual or hearing difficulty

          -  Taking investigational drug

          -  In pregnancy or breast-feeding
No condition on gender to be admitted to the trial.
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Subject must be at least 20 Years old.
Subject must be at most 90 Years

Eligibility (NLI label): Entailment