Premium
Commentary on “Recommendations from the National Institute on Aging‐Alzheimer's Association workgroups on diagnostic guidelines for Alzheimer's disease.” Addressing the challenge of Alzheimer's disease in the 21st century
Author(s) -
Herrup Karl
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1016/j.jalz.2011.04.002
Subject(s) - citation , library science , cognitive impairment , association (psychology) , disease , psychology , alzheimer's disease , gerontology , medicine , neuroscience , computer science , cognition , pathology , psychotherapist
In a much-anticipated publication, this series of four articles seeks to redefine the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Representing the consummation of a series of working groups and an extended period of public comment, this is an extraordinary effort and one that was certainly needed. The last time a document of this type was written was more than 27 years ago. The strengths of the articles are many. The participants in the work groups represent a highly regarded group of clinicians and researchers from a broad range of disciplines. In charging them with their mission, the NIA and the Alzheimer’s Association set a high bar by asking them to redefine the diagnosis of AD. The group has risen to the challenge and responded with a scholarly set of four articles. Perhaps the most impressive feature of the exercise is the breadth of the authors’ vision. In the 21st century, we recognize that the challenge of AD includes not just a description of the final stages of the disease; it also requires an investigation of the chemical, biological and clinical progression of the symptoms—symptoms that almost certainly begin with imperceptible changes in chemistry, cognition, and memory that precede overt signs of the disease by a decade or more. This is a difficult realm to investigate, yet there is a growingconsensus that it is here that the most effective preventative therapies will be applied. One step in achieving a definition of this early phase of AD can be found in the report by Albert et al. [1] that deals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This report will be a useful aid to both clinicians and researchers as the authors have worked to make the concept accessible and the boundaries with other conditions as clear as possible. At the same time, they have avoided the trap of over-analyzing the condition and have been unapologetic when