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Advances in the early detection of Alzheimer's disease

Nature Medicine volume 10, pages S34–S41 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

The combination of an aging population and the promise, possibly in the near future, of disease-modifying therapies have made the characterization of the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) a topic of major research interest. In this article we review recent progress in our understanding of the evolution of early AD with particular reference to the symptomatic pre-dementia stage designated 'mild cognitive impairment', emphasizing work on the early cognitive profile and associated neuroimaging studies.

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Figure 1
Figure 2: The PAL test.
Figure 3: Comparable T1-weighted coronal MRI slices perpendicular to the long axis of the hippocampus showing a normal-sized hippocampus in a control person (total hippocampal volume uncorrected for head size 3,480 mm3 right and 3,164 mm3 left) and a smaller hippocampus in an MCI patient (total hippocampal volume uncorrected for head size 2,050 mm3 right and 2,580 mm3 left).
Figure 4: Cumulative gray matter loss in patients with MCI (red) and AD (blue) estimated using computational neuroanatomy methods (VBM).
Figure 5: Imaging from a 59-year-old male (MMSE = 29/30, CDR = 0.5) who met consensus criteria for MCI23.

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Article 13 May 2021

David S. Knopman, Helene Amieva, … David T. Jones

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University Neurology Unit, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 2QQ, UK

    Peter J Nestor & John R Hodges

  2. Department of Neurology/Alzheimer Center, VU Medisch Centrum, PO Box 7057, Amsterdam, 1007 MB, The Netherlands

    Philip Scheltens

  3. MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge, CB2 2EF, UK

    John R Hodges

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Nestor, P., Scheltens, P. & Hodges, J. Advances in the early detection of Alzheimer's disease. Nat Med 10 (Suppl 7), S34–S41 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1433

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