Assessment of Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating illness, affecting over 5.5 million adults in the United States and costing over 170 billion dollars annually. In addition, there is growing recognition that mild cognitive impairment (MCI) constitutes a risk factor for AD and other neurodegenerative disorders. In this chapter, we describe the clinical manifestations of early AD and other neurogenerative brain disorders and describe the appropriate neuropsychological measures that tap the important cognitive domains that should be assessed in these conditions. A summary of useful clinical tips as well as future directions in the field are addressed.