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[Early diagnosis and the course of Alzheimer's disease]
1Departamento de Psicología Básica, Psicobiología y Metodología, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Salamanca, España. jlsanch@gugu.usal.es
Introduction:
The limits of normal aging are poorly defined and this is also true of Alzheimer's disease (AD), where the diagnostic criteria are quantitative and quite arbitrary. We ought also to mention the condition currently know as 'mild cognitive deterioration' considering this to be an illness with a high annual rate of conversion to dementia. AD is considered to be the main cause of dementia at the present time. It is defined as a neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system characterized by progressive deterioration of memory and other cognitive functions.
Objective:
Firstly to differentiate a sick from a healthy person of the same age; determine the functions involved and to what degree and finally to discover its possible development by determining the factors which may predict its course, and determine the treatment, bearing in mind the values which will be useful in effectively controlling the drug.
Patients And Methods:
The sample used was made up of 20 persons, 10 of whom complained of loss of memory whilst the remainder had no illness of any kind when they were examined.
Results:
The results show statistically significant differences between the two groups.
Conclusions:
Neurophysiological tests give objective effective methodology for the diagnosis of AD in its early stages and for evaluation of the progress of the illness. This efficacy is comparable to that of other techniques of examination which are regularly used in our setting.