Clinical assessment of Alzheimer's disease

CERAD has developed valid and reliable procedures and assessment forms for the standardized evaluation of AD. In addition, we have extended the CDR staging of AD so it is possible to distinguish among patients who have progressed beyond the severe level. We have explored subtypes of AD and reviewed the distinction between possible and probable AD, finding that for certain purposes, this differentiation need not be maintained. In particular, we have focused on the natural history of AD to determine at what rate and in which ways progressive changes occur. The CERAD clinical evaluation provides information leading to an accurate diagnosis, as indicated by confirmatory neuropathologic examinations. It has been well accepted, not only by tertiary care centers but more generally, and is becoming a recognized standard for epidemiologic studies of AD.