Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's Disease

Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

Diagnosis

There is no single diagnostic test that can detect if a person has Alzheimer's disease. The process involves several tests and may take more than a day. Tests and criteria make it possible for doctors to make a diagnosis of Alzheimer's with an accuracy of about 90 percent.

There are two abnormal structures in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease -- amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles:

• Amyloid Plagues -- Amyloid plaques are sticky clumps or patches of protein found surrounded by the debris of dying nerve cells in the brain of Alzheimer's patients.

• Neurofibrillary Tangles -- These are the damaged remains of protein called tau, which are required for the normal functioning of the brain. In people with Alzheimer's, threads of tau protein become twisted, which researchers believe may damage neurons and cause them to die.

Research about these structures have provided clues about why cells die, but scientists have not determined exactly what role plaques and tangles play in the disease process and whether these are the key factors.

At the UCSF Memory and Aging Center, the evaluation and treatment recommendations for Alzheimer's are performed by a specially trained team including neurologists, radiologists, pharmacists, nurses and other health professionals. Evaluations may include the following steps:

• Brain Scans -- These test will be performed to detect other possible causes of dementia such as stroke.

• Evaluations -- A series of evaluations will test memory, reasoning, vision-motor coordination and language skills.

• Interviews -- An interview with the patient and another person close to the patient, such as a relative, spouse or close friend who can provide examples of memory loss and functional decline.

• Laboratory Tests -- Lab tests, such as blood and urine tests, may provide information about problems other than Alzheimer's that may cause dementia

• Medical History -- Information about current mental or physical conditions, prescription and nonprescription drug use, and family health history will be collected.

• Mental Status -- An evaluation will be conducted to assess sense of time and place; ability to remember, understand and communicate and ability to do simple math problems.

• Physical Exam -- The patient's nutritional status, blood pressure and pulse will be assessed as part of this examination. Tests of sensation, balance and other functions of the nervous system also will be conducted.

• Psychiatric Evaluation -- An assessment of mood and other emotional factors that could cause dementia-like symptoms or may accompany Alzheimer's disease will be completed.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated February 12, 2008