Accelerating scientific discovery has increased our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease. In response to the pace of insight, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the Alzheimer’s Association convened three workgroups to explore the need for new diagnostic criteria that better reflect the full continuum of the disease from its earliest effects to its eventual impact on mental and physical function.
These workgroups have proposed recommendations to update diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Additional recommendations propose criteria for “preclinical Alzheimer’s disease,” a new diagnostic category representing the earliest changes that occur even before MCI. These preclinical criteria would currently be used only in research settings and not in medical practice.
All of the recommendations propose a potential diagnostic role for biomarkers based on emerging understanding of characteristic brain imaging patterns and changes in molecular benchmarks, including beta-amyloid and tau.
The proposed recommendations were released at the 2010 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease (AAICAD). To read the press release, please click here.
 Backgrounder / FAQ's for the proposed revisions to diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease
View recommendations and submit comments
The NIA and Alzheimer’s Association now invite comments from the research community and other stakeholders. To view the proposed recommendations, please download the PDFs below.
Please submit your comments to Maria C Carrillo, PhD (maria.carrillo@alz.org), Alzheimer’s Association Senior Director, Medical and Scientific Affairs.
Following integration of additional input, the recommendations will be published in a peer reviewed journal and validated through incorporation into clinical trials.
Proposed criteria for Alzheimer’s disease dementia (5 pages)
- Guy McKhann, M.D., Johns Hopkins University (Chair)
- Bradley Hyman, M.D., PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital
- Clifford Jack, M.D., Mayo Clinic, Rochester
- Claudia Kawas, M.D., University of California, Irvine
- William Klunk, M.D., Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh
- David Knopman, M.D., Mayo Clinic, Rochester
- Walter Koroshetz, M.D., National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- Jennifer Manly, Ph.D., Columbia University, Sergievsky Center
- Richard Mayeux, M.D., Columbia University, Sergievsky Center
- Richard Mohs, Ph.D., Eli Lilly and Company
- John Morris, M.D., Washington University School of Medicine
- Sandra Weintraub, Ph.D., Northwestern University Medical School
Proposed criteria for mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease (11 pages)
- Marilyn Albert, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University (Chair)
- Steven DeKosky, M.D., University of Virginia School of Medicine
- Dennis Dickson, M.D., Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville
- Bruno Dubois, M.D., INSERM, Hôpital de la Salpêtrière
- Howard Feldman, M.D., Bristol Myers Squibb
- Nick Fox, M.D., Dementia Research Center, Institute of Neurology
- Anthony Gamst, Ph.D., University of California, San Diego
- David Holtzman, M.D., Washington University School of Medicine
- William Jagust, M.D., University of California, Berkeley
- Ron Petersen, Ph.D., MD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester
- Peter Snyder, Ph.D., Brown University
Proposed criteria for preclinical Alzheimer’s disease (14 pages)
- Reisa Sperling, M.D., Brigham and Women's Hospital (Chair)
- Laurel Beckett, Ph.D., University of California, Davis
- David Bennett, M.D., Rush University Medical Center
- Suzanne Craft, Ph.D., VA Puget Sound Health Care System, VA Seattle
- Anne Fagan, Ph.D., Washington University, St. Louis
- Jeffrey Kaye, M.D., Oregon Health & Science University
- Tom Montine, M.D., Ph.D., Harborview Medical Center
- Denise Park, Ph.D., University of Texas, Dallas
- Eric Reiman, M.D., Banner Alzheimer's Institute
- Eric Siemers, M.D., Eli Lilly and Company
- Yaakov Stern, Ph.D., Columbia University, Sergievsky Center
- Kristine Yaffe, M.D., University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco VAMC
Adjunct members:
- Paul Aisen, M.D., University of California, San Diego
- Clifford Jack, M.D., Mayo Clinic, Rochester
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“The NIA and the Alzheimer’s Association hope this process of updating and revising the diagnostic criteria with the latest advances will provide standards that move the field further in the direction of early detection and treatment.”
- William H Thies, Ph.D., Alzheimer’s Association Chief Medical and Scientific Officer
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