An excerpt from the Johns Hopkins Medical Letter: Health After 50 Is it normal forgetfulness, or a warning sign of Alzheimer's?
	Brief memory lapses (where are my glasses?) are the most common age-related memory change. People who experience this normal phenomenon usually remember what they've forgotten after a few minutes, or when reminded. But people with Alzheimer's disease never have that, "Aha! I remember!" experience, and its absence is a hallmark of the disease, says Johns Hopkins Professor of Neurology Marilyn Albert, Ph.D. Until recently, Alzheimer's disease could only be confirmed after death by autopsy, if certain abnormal brain structures called plaques and tangles were present. Fortunately, Alzheimer's disease can now be diagnosed in the doctor's office, based primarily on clinical symptoms. In addition, new, highly accurate tests are currently being developed to confirm the diagnosis. Confirming the diagnosis If symptoms suggest Alzheimer's disease, your doctor can usually confirm the diagnosis with a brief psychological test called the Mini-Mental State Exam. A complete physical exam, medical history, and non-invasive tests such as CT scans and MRIs can help exclude other causes of memory impairment, such as depression, strokes, brain tumors, and hydrocephalus. New tests on the horizon For situations where there is doubt, two promising new approaches may one day lead to tests that can be used to confirm or rule out a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease: Positron emission tomography (PET) measures how the brain metabolizes glucose or the amount of blood flow in a given area. PET focuses on a protein called beta-amyloid that accumulates to form hard plaques in an area of the brain where memory and cognitive functions are carried out. Beta-amyloid and tau, two protein fragments found in spinal fluid, may be accurate markers for Alzheimer's disease. In a recent study, patients with Alzheimer's disease had significantly lower levels of beta-amyloid, and significantly higher levels of tau, than those without AD.
	Common warning signs of Alzheimer's disease: Difficulty performing familiar tasks or using simple household appliances Disorientation, such as becoming lost on your own street Poor judgement, such as wearing several shirts on a warm day or very little clothing in cold weather Putting items in unusual places, such as a book in the refrigerator, and forgetting how the got there Problems with abstract thinking, such as difficulty in balancing a checkbook Changes in mood or behavior, such as rapidly going from calm to tearful to angry for no apparent reason Loss of initiative, marked by extreme passivity and lack of interest in normal activities
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