Diagnostic Testing for Alzheimer’s Disease

Diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease can be difficult. If you or someone you love has been showing signs of forgetfulness, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you have developed Alzheimer’s. It could be another type of neurological disorder, or it might not be serious at all. But please don’t ignore symptoms that could be a warning sign for this disease.

Doctors must evaluate all of the patient’s symptoms and administer several medical examinations. Confirming that someone has Alzheimer’s disease is an essential step which leads to education and setting up an appropriate treatment plan moving forward.

Tests and Evaluations

To make this diagnosis, you’ll need to schedule an appointment with your primary doctor or a neurologist. They’ll need to review your symptoms, medical history and details of medications you’ve taken or are taking. Following this analysis, your doctor will then conduct several tests.

Here’s a list of things your doctor will be evaluating:

• Are you showing signs of impaired memory or cognitive skills
• By what degree has your memory been impaired or changed
• Are you exhibiting alterations in personality or behaviors
• Are these cognitive impairments affecting your ability to perform daily tasks

If they don’t get a clear picture of the situation following these evaluations, then your neurologist may order additional lab or brain-imaging tests. They may also have you go in for additional memory evaluation. These tests will yield valuable insights into your condition, as well as help them rule out other conditions that could have produced these symptoms.

There are laboratory tests that can check for vitamin B-12 deficiency or thyroid problems. Your doctor should also determine if depression could be playing a role in the symptoms that have manifested. A physical exam will also help rule out other potential health conditions that could cause these problems. Conditions that can cause similar symptoms include:

• Prior strokes
• Parkinson’s disease
• Other forms of dementia

Testing a Patient’s Memory

There are a number of specific questions and tasks that can help doctors assess the degree of your symptoms. These are designed to test memory, abstract thinking, problem-solving and language usage skills:

• Neuropsychological Tests – A specialist in neurological and mental health conditions will perform an evaluation that will extensively test memory and cognitive ability.
• Mental Status Testing – These tests are designed to evaluate memory and cognitive ability and result in a combined score highlighting the degree of impairment.
• Interviews with Friends and Family – A doctor will ask those close to the patient about their recent behavior. Close friends and family can often provide an accurate description of how the patient’s cognitive abilities have altered over time.

These tests can show if the patient has dementia and their degree of impairment (if any). Activities like driving may need to be limited or stopped altogether. Doctor’s will take great care to educate them about what it means to have Alzheimer’s disease and their options moving forward.

The various tests and examinations combined with the patient’s manifested symptoms should be enough for a neurologist to make a clear diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. If for some reason a doctor is still unsure, then they may have to set up a period of observation in order to gather more information about the patient.