Alzheimer's Disease Diagnosis & Tests

New advances in research can determine if you have Alzheimer's disease. Find out what the early signs of Alzheimer's disease are as Dr. Oz and researcher Dr. Murali Doraiswamy discuss diagnostic tests in this video. Full Answer

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common dementia in older people in America. It is believed that damage to the brain that brings on the disease begins 10 to 20 years before the onset of dementia. With that knowledge in mind, it is now thought that... Full Answer

Alzheimer's is not to blame for all memory loss; some can be caused by vascular problems or a loss of neuron function. Here's a quick self-diagnostic test to help detect the first signs of Alzheimer's. Give Gramps a seven-digit phone number to remember.... Full Answer

Dr. Roger A. Brumback advises, “A really critical question is, ‘How sure are you that this is Alzheimer’s or one of the other degenerative dementias and not a treatable condition?’”  A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s... Full Answer

The question “How sure are you that this is really Alzheimer’s disease?” may be the most important question you ever ask in your life. Most people never think to question a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. If your doctor tells... Full Answer

Very few people develop AD in their thirties or forties. This is known as "early onset" AD. These individuals have a mutation in one of three different inherited genes that causes the disease to begin at an earlier age. More than 90 percent of AD... Full Answer

While it would be highly desirable to have a definitive lab test for Alzheimer’s disease, none exists as yet. There are several lab tests that can contribute valuable information to the diagnostic process, however. But in the end, the... Full Answer

If checking for the seven warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease doesn’t give you an answer, and you are still concerned about a family member or friend, there is another test available. At Duke University I developed the Short Portable... Full Answer

It used to be said that the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease could only be made by performing a brain autopsy. While this was a perfectly reliable way of making the diagnosis, doing so after the person had already died did not benefit either the... Full Answer

A regular PET scan measures the amount of blood flow and glucose metabolism in the brain, with special emphasis on the temporal lobe where memory function occurs. Decreased blood flow and/or glucose metabolism is an early indicator of... Full Answer