Differential diagnosis of dementia: clinical examination and laboratory assessment.
Recent breakthroughs in putative disease-modifying interventions for Alzheimer's disease (AD) underscore the urgency of making the earliest possible diagnosis. In the absence of a convenient and reliable laboratory test for AD, the clinical assessment is still the cornerstone of the diagnostic approach. This article provides a basis for conducting an assessment within the realities of a busy clinical practice for patients complaining of cognitive decline. The assessment will enable the clinician to diagnose the earliest manifestation of AD.
Memory Disorders and Alzheimer's Disease Clinic, Department of Neurology, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, and UCLA Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Michael S
MS
Mega
D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D000377:Agnosia / Q000175:diagnosis; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis; D001288:Attention; D015415:Biomarkers; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008568:Memory; D010552:Personality Assessment; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D011581:Psychological Tests; D014054:Tomography / Q000379:methods
D015415:Biomarkers