DETECT ALZHEIMERS

DETECT ALZHEIMERS

What is Alzheimer’s?

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurological (or brain) condition that slowly and progressively leads to loss of memory, judgment, attention, and reasoning.1  AD has stages and is considered a neurodegenerative disease, characterized by damage to the brain and loss in the ability of nerve cells (neurons) to send messages between different parts of the brain as well as from the brain to muscles and other organs in the body.1-3 It is not the same as becoming forgetful over time—AD is not a normal part of the aging process.4

AD is the most common type of dementia, especially in people over the age of 65, although it does occur in a small percentage of younger people (early-onset Alzheimer’s).1,4 Survival for those living with Alzheimer’s can average 4-8 years after diagnosis, but some live as many as 20 years depending on individual factors.4

How the Brain is Affected in Alzheimer's Disease

Scientists are still learning the precise mechanism of AD and its stages, but they know that damage to brain tissue is involved.3 Even before symptoms start, the brain can start to show changes, such as an abnormal buildup of proteins like amyloid plaques (protein clumps) around blood vessels and nerve cells, and tau neurofibrillary tangles (bundles of fibers) within the nerve cells themselves.1,3,4 As AD progresses, the nerve cells lose the ability to communicate with each other (and the rest of the body) and die.3,4 Losing nerve cells causes the brain to shrink and leads to the symptoms associated with AD, such as memory loss, personality changes, and trouble performing daily activities.4

How Can I Reduce My Risk for Alzheimer's Disease?

Despite all of the scientific advances in this field, scientists are still working to understand what causes AD.3 The causes are likely a combination of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors, and can vary from person to person.3 Age is the greatest known risk factor for AD as well as other dementias; however, increasing age is not a direct cause of AD.7 While risk factors such as age, family history, and heredity cannot be modified, research is beginning to reveal clues about other risk factors that can be modified via changes in lifestyle and via effective management of other health conditions7: 

Get treatment for conditions that affect your heart and blood vessels, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and high cholesterol

Avoid head injuries – wear a seatbelt in the car and a helmet when playing sports

Eat a healthy diet

Stay socially active

Quit smoking

Avoid excess alcohol

Exercise your body and mind

What are the Symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease?

The symptoms of AD typically get worse as the condition progresses due to the loss of functioning brain tissue.3,4 One of the early symptoms of AD, and one of the most common, is the failure to remember newly learned information.4 As the disease spreads throughout the brain, people with severe AD have trouble communicating and are often completely dependent on their caregivers.3 Closer to the end of life, the body shuts down and the person may have to stay in bed most or all of the time.3 AD is among the top ten leading causes of death among American adults.8 Here is a summary of the symptoms that can be experienced in the varying stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

References

  1. Kumar A, Sidhu J, Lui F, et al. Alzheimer Disease. [Updated 2024 Feb 12]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499922/.
  2. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Neurodegenerative diseases. Last reviewed January 05, 2026. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/health/neurodegenerative/index.cfm
  3. National Institute on Aging (NIA). Alzheimer’s Disease Fact Sheet. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimers-disease-fact-sheet
  4. Alzheimer’s Association®. What is Alzheimer’s disease? https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-alzheimers
  5. Breijyeh Z, Karaman R. Comprehensive Review on Alzheimer’s Disease: Causes and Treatment. Molecules. 2020;25:5789.
  6. Rehman S, Tarek N, Magdy C, et al. AI-based tool for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease. Heliyon. 2024;10:e29375.
  7. Alzheimer’s Association®. Causes and risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-alzheimers/causes-and-risk-factors
  8. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (CDC). Leading Causes of Death. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm
  9. Alzheimer’s Association®. Stages of Alzheimer’s. https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/stages
  10. 2025 Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures. Alzheimer’s Dement. 2025;21:e70235.
  11. National Institute on Aging (NIA). What are the Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-are-signs-alzheimers-disease

All URLs accessed February 27, 2026.

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Scientific Council

Marc Agronin, MD

Chief Medical Officer
Frank C. and Lynn Scaduto MIND Institute and Behavioral Health
Miami Jewish Health
Miami, FL

Liana G. Apostolova, MD, MSc, FAAN

Associate Dean of Alzheimer’s Disease Research
Indiana University Distinguished Professor
Barbara and Peer Baekgaard Professor of Alzheimer's Disease Research
Professor in Neurology, Radiology, Medical and Molecular Genetics
Indiana University School of Medicine
Department of Neurology
Indianapolis, IN

Alireza Atri, MD, PhD

Chief Medical Officer, Banner Research
Banner Alzheimer’s and Research Institutes
Pheonix, Sun City, and Tucson, AZ
Director, Banner Sun Health Research Institute
Sun City, AZ

Frederik Barkhof, MD, PhD, FRCR

Professor of Neuroradiology
Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine
Amsterdam UMC (location VU mc)
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology
UCL Hawkes Institute
London, United Kingdom

Sharon A. Brangman, MD, FACP, AGSF

Distinguished Service Professor
Chair, Department of Geriatrics
Director, Upstate Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease
SUNY Upstate Medical University
Syracuse, New York

Christopher Chen, BM BCh, MRCP, FAMS, FRCP

Professor, Department of Pharmacology
Director, Memory Aging and Cognition Centre
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
National University of Singapore
Singapore

Choong Chih Ching, MBChb NZ, FRCR UK

Senior Consultant, Department of Diagnostic Imaging
RadLink, Singapore
Visiting Consultant, National University Hospital and National Cancer Centre of Singapore

Anupama Roy Chowdhury, MBBS, MRCP, FAMS

Head and Senior Consultant
Department of Geriatric Medicine
Singapore General Hospital
Singapore

Natalie Christian, MD

Assistant Professor, Geriatrics
Program Director, Geriatric Medicine Fellowship
Tulane University School of Medicine
Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare System
New Orleans, LA

Petrice M. Cogswell, MD, PhD

Associate Professor
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minnesota

Ariel F. Cole, MD, FAAFP

Program Director, AdventHealth Geriatric Fellowship
Winter Park, FL

Brad Dickerson, MD, MMSc, FAAN, FANPA

Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School
Director, Frontotemporal Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA

Richard M. Dupee, MD, MACP, AGSF

Clinical Professor of Medicine
Tufts University School of Medicine
Clinical professor, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University
Chief, Geriatrics Service, Tufts Medical Center
Senior Physician, Pratt Diagnostic Center
Dean ex officio, Office of International Affairs, Tufts University School of Medicine
Boston, MA

Fanny Elahi, MD, PhD

Associate Professor
Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Pathology
Director, Fluid Biomarker Research
Barbara and Maurice Deane Center for Wellness and Cognitive Health
Co-Director, Genetics and Genomics Core
Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, New York, USA

James M. Ellison, MD, MPH

Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior
Sidney Kimmel Medical College
Co-Director, Comprehensive Alzheimer’s Center
Vickie & Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, PA

Juan Fortea, MD, PhD

Professor of Neurology
Director, Alzheimer-Down Unit
Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau
Sant Pau Biomedical Research Institute
Barcelona, Spain

Ana M. Franceschi, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Radiology
Director of Dementia Imaging
Director of Molecular Neuroimaging
Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
Lenox Hill Hospital
New York, New York

Giovanni B. Frisoni, MD

Professor of Clinical Neuroscience
University of Geneva
Director, Memory Clinic
Geneva University Hospitals
Geneva, Switzerland

Samuel Gandy, MD. PhD

Professor of Neurology & Psychiatry
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
James J Peters VA Medical Center
New York, New York

James E. Galvin, MD, MPH

Professor of Neurology
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Miami, FL

David S. Geldmacher, MD

Professor and Director
Division of Memory Disorders and Behavioral Neurology
Department of Neurology
Heersink School of Medicine
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, AL

George T. Grossberg, MD

Henry & Amelia Nasrallah Endowed Professor
Director of Geriatric Psychiatry
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience
Saint Louis University School of Medicine
St. Louis, MO

Scott A. Kaiser, MD

Director of Geriatric Cognitive Health
Pacific Neuroscience Institute
Santa Monica, CA
Adjunct Professor
USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology
Los Angeles, CA

Lynn E. Kassel, PharmD, BCPS

Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice
Drake University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
Des Moines, IA

Diana R. Kerwin, MD, CPI

President, Kerwin Medical Center
Chief, Geriatric Medicine, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital
Dallas, TX

Alka Khera, MD

Assistant Professor
UT Southwestern Neurology
Dallas, TX

Sumeet Kumar, MBBS, DNB, FRCR, EDiNR

Senior Consultant, Department of Neuroradiology
National Neuroscience Institute of Singapore
Clinical Assistant Professor, Duke-NUS Medical School
Adjunct Director for Advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research
Radiological Sciences Academic Clinical Program (RADSC ACP)
SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre
Singapore

Rosemary D. Laird, MD, MHSA, AGSF

Chief Medical Officer, My Memory Clinic
Principal Investigator, ClinCloud Clinical Trials
Viera, Florida

Chi-Ying (Roy) Lin, MD, MPH, FAAN

Director, CurePSP Center of Care for PSP, CBD, and MSA
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease Centers
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX

Catherine A. Madison, MD

Founding Director Ray Dolby Brain Health Center
San Francisco, CA

Scott McGinnis, MD

Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School
Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Frontotemporal Disorders Unit
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA

Kristin S. Meyer, PharmD, BCGP, FASCP

Professor of Pharmacy Practice
Drake University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Des Moines, IA

Charles Montano, MD

Owner, Principal Investigator
CT Clinical Research
Cromwell, CT

Mary Norman, MD

Geriatrician
Cedars-Sinai Medical Group
Los Angeles, CA

Tiago Gil Oliveira, MD, PhD

Associate Professor
Life and Health Sciences Research Institute
School of Medicine
University of Minho
Neuroradiologist
Hospital de Braga
Braga, Portugal

Monica Parker, MD

Associate Professor of Neurology
Lead, Outreach, Recruitment, and Engagement Core
Goizueta Alzheimer's Disease Research Center
Goizueta Brain Health Institute
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia

Manisha Parulekar, MD, FACP, AGSF, CMD

Director, Division of Geriatrics
Co-director, Center for Memory Loss and Brain Health
Hackensack University Medical Center
Hackensack, NJ

Giulio Maria Pasinetti, MD, PhD

The Saunders Family Chair in Neurology, Professor in Neurology
Director, Mount Sinai Center in Advance Botanical Research in Molecular Integrative Neuroresilience
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, NY
Director, Basic and Biomedical Research and Training Program, Geriatric Research and Clinical Center
James J. Peters Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Bronx, NY

Anton P. Porsteinsson, MD

William B. and Sheila Konar Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology,
Neuroscience, and Medicine
Director, Alzheimer’s Disease Care, Research and Education
Program (AD CARE)
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Rochester, NY

Michael S. Rafii, MD, PhD

Professor of Clinical Neurology
Medical Director, Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute
Keck School of Medicine of USC
Los Angeles, California, USA

William D. Rhoades, DO, FACP

Chief Medical Officer
Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital
Downers Grove, IL

Barry W. Rovner, MD

Professor, Departments of Psychiatry & Neurology
Sidney Kimmel Medical College
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, PA

Marwan Noel Sabbagh, MD, FAAN, FANA

Moreno Family Chair for Alzheimer’s Research
Vice Chairman for Research and Professor
Department of Neurology
Barrow Neurological Institute
Phoenix, AZ

Martin J. Sadowski, MD, PhD

Zachary and Elizabeth M. Fisher Professor of Neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's Disease
Professor of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Biochemistry & Molecular Pharmacology
New York University Grossman School of Medicine Director, Fisher Center Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Program
New York, NY

Stephen Salloway, MD, MS

Professor, Psychiatry and Human Behavior
Professor of Neurology, Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island

Angela Sanford, MD, CMD

Associate Professor of Internal Medicine-Geriatrics
Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Ballwin, MO

Philip Scheltens, MD, PhD

Professor Emeritus of Neurology
Amsterdam University Medical Center
Head Dementia Fund at EQT Life Sciences
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Suzanne E. Schindler, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Neurology
Division of Neurology
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
Investigator, Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center
St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Paul E. Schulz, MD

Rick McCord Professor of Neurology
Umphrey Family Professor of Neurodegenerative Disorders
Director, Memory Disorders and Dementia Clinic
UTHealth Houston
Houston, TX

Sharon J. Sha, MD, MS

Clinical Professor
Clinical Professor Neurology and Neurological Sciences Stanford University Chief, Stanford Memory Disorders Center Stanford Medicine Health Care
Palo Alto, CA

Neil Skolnik, MD

Professor of Family and Community Medicine
Sidney Kimmel Medical College
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, PA

Sandra Swantek, MD

Director, Section of Geriatric Psychiatry
RUSH University Medical Center
Chicago, IL

R. Scott Turner, PhD, MD

Professor of Neurology
Director of the Memory Disorders Program
Georgetown University
Washington, DC

Lawren VandeVrede, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Neurology
Memory and Aging Center
Department of Neurology
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, California, USA

Chuck Vega, MD, FAAFP

Health Sciences Clinical Professor
UC Irvine Department of Family Medicine
Director, UCI Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community
University of California Irvine
Irvine, CA

Nicolas Villain, MD, PhD

Professor of Neurology
Department of Neurology
Sorbonne University
Neurologist, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital
Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris
Paris, France

Geoffrey C. Wall, PharmD, FCCP, BCPS

John R. Ellis Distinguished Chair of Pharmacy Practice
Professor of Clinical Sciences
Director, Drake Drug Information Center
Drake University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Internal Medicine Clinical Pharmacist
Iowa Methodist Medical Center
Des Moines, IA

David A. Wolk, MD, FAAN

Professor of Neurology
Director, Penn Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA

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