Breathing 4 Life's Memory: New diagnostic criteria and ...

Breathing 4 Life's Memory:
New diagnostic criteria and ...: "New diagnostic criteria and guidelines for Alzheimer’s disease published for first time in 27 years New criteria and guidelines for the dia..."

New Department of Defense program to fund Alzheimer's research

New Department of Defense program to fund Alzheimer's research

As the leading voluntary health organization advocating for Alzheimer's care, support and research, the Alzheimer's Association is pleased that Congress has authorized a $15 million investment to be provided to the Department of Defense's Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) to create an Alzheimer's Research Grant Program. The program will provide grants for research that will explore the causes, complications and potential treatments associated with Alzheimer's disease, particularly among those in the military.

The funding will be used to create a peer-reviewed research grant program portfolio which will include traumatic brain injury (TBI), post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other research areas. The Alzheimer's Association joined US Against Alzheimer's in support of the creation of this very important program which will make a significant contribution to greater understanding about Alzheimer's.

Today, an estimated 5.4 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease and that number is expected to climb to 16 million by mid-century without the discovery of disease modifying treatments that prevent, cure or slow disease progression. According to the Alzheimer's Association's 2011 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report, moderate and severe head trauma, head injury and traumatic brain injury are associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

"We urgently need research that will provide us with a greater understanding of Alzheimer's as well as its impact on current and future military populations. This program is a great step toward achieving that understanding and the progress it will unlock," said Robert Egge, vice president of public policy for the Alzheimer's Association.

Currently the sixth-leading cause of death, Alzheimer's disease is the only cause of death among the top 10 causes without a way prevent, cure or even slow its progression. The need for a greater commitment to research efforts, with endeavors such as the Alzheimer's Research Grant Program within the Defense Department is a step in the right direction. It will help to foster the development of innovative research that will hopefully translate to greater understanding of Alzheimer's and its impact on the military community.

Breathing 4 Life's Memory: New diagnostic criteria and ...

Breathing 4 Life's Memory:
New diagnostic criteria and ...: "New diagnostic criteria and guidelines for Alzheimer’s disease published for first time in 27 years New criteria and guidelines for the dia..."

New diagnostic criteria and guidelines for Alzheimer’s disease published for first time in 27 years

New criteria and guidelines for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease have been published— for the first time in 27 years — by three expert work-groups spearheaded by the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The workgroups published four articles including ready-to-use clinical diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer’s disease dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer’s. A research agenda was proposed for preclinical Alzheimer’s. The use of biomarkers in Alzheimer’s dementia and MCI due to Alzheimer’s was also proposed as a research agenda only, and is not intended for application in clinical settings at this time.

The articles — collectively, the National Institute on Aging/Alzheimer’s Association Diagnostic Guidelines for Alzheimer’s Disease — expand the definition of Alzheimer’s to include two new phases of the disease: (1) presymptomatic and (2) mildly symptomatic but pre-dementia, along with (3) dementia caused by Alzheimer’s. This reflects current thinking that Alzheimer’s begins creating distinct and measurable changes in the brains of affected people years, perhaps decades, before memory and thinking symptoms are noticeable.

“It is our hope that incorporating scientific knowledge gained and technological advances made over the past quarter century will improve current diagnosis, bring the field closer to earlier detection and treatment and, ultimately, lead to effective disease-modifying therapies,” said William Thies, Ph.D., Alzheimer’s Association chief medical and scientific officer. “Development and publication of these articles is a major landmark in the field. That said, publication of these articles is not yet the end of the process of developing new diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer’s, but is another major step in the process.”

“The new guidelines reflect today’s understanding of how key changes in the brain lead to Alzheimer’s disease pathology and how they relate to the clinical signs of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease dementia,” said Creighton Phelps, Ph.D., program director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Centers Program at the National Institutes of Health. “We are also beginning to be able to detect these changes at a preclinical stage, long before symptoms appear in many people. With further research on biomarkers, as set forth in the new guidelines, we may ultimately be able to predict who is at risk for development of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s dementia, and who would benefit most as interventions are developed.”

The proposed new Alzheimer’s disease diagnostic guidelines were published online today by Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. Hard copy publication is scheduled for the May 2011 issue.
To learn more, visit www.alz.org/research/diagnostic_criteria.