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Introduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2014

Jeffrey L. Cummings
Jeffrey L. Cummings*
Affiliation:
Dr. Cummings is Augustus S. Rose Professor of Neurology, professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral science, director of the Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research, and director of the Deane F. Johnson Center for Neurotherapeutics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the, University of California, Los Angeles
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Extract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research is progressing rapidly and on multiple fronts. Advances are being made in early diagnosis, neuroimaging, and biomarkers; optimal care uses currently available medications and strategies; and new therapies are emerging. Early diagnosis is necessary for optimal patient management. Biomarkers are critical to early diagnosis, and biomarker development is dependent on better understanding of disease pathophysiology (Slide 1). The discussions in this supplement examine how progress in AD research can be translated into clinical care.

Primary care practitioners (PCPs) provide most of the care of patients with AD, and these clinicians are optimally poised to discover new cases emerging among elderly patients. Caregivers are most likely to voice concerns about declining memory in a family member to a PCP before seeking specialty evaluation. PCPs, however, have little time to devote to complex assessments and cannot have specialty-level expertise in all disorders. PCPs must have clinical tools that assist them in rapidly identifying potential problems and triaging them for further evaluation or specialty referral.

Type
Research Article
Information
CNS Spectrums , Volume 13 , Issue S16 , 2008 , pp. 4 - 5
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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