2005 Senator Mark Hatfield Award in Clinical Research in Alzheimers Disease

People with Down syndrome are at a very high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and should be evaluated for the onset of dementia symptoms. As is true with the general population, people with Down syndrome may not have access to medical centers with clinicians experienced in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. Consequently, a reliable method for remotely administering cognitive assessments and screening for Alzheimer’s disease would be beneficial.

Ira T. Lott, M.D., and colleagues have used telemedicine, or doctor visits by phone, with people with Down syndrome and are investigating whether this approach may be used reliably in diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease. In their investigation, 120 people with Down syndrome will undergo standard face-to-face diagnostic assessments. They will also be assessed via a telemedicine model. The researchers will evaluate the reliability of the telemedicine model by comparing it to the diagnostic outcomes of the standard procedure.

The outcome of this work may provide useful data about the utility of this approach and determine whether the telemedicine model may be useful in the general population living in remote locations.