Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease Using Event Related Potentials

The objective of this study is to improve the accuracy of diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in
a clinic setting using an EEG device to measure event related potentials.

This study will recruit patients who are being seen with a memory complaint or the first
time. It will be prospective in nature. Subjects will initially be evaluated by clinicians
and then clinicians will fill out a rating questionnaire as to their level of certainty of
various possible dementia diagnoses. Then, during the testing portion of the study, subjects
will return to have an EEG test completed measuring event related potentials during an
acoustic oddball paradigm task. The EEG will be completed by a technician who has no
knowledge of the subject's clinical diagnosis. After the EEG is performed, the data will be
evaluated by the study clinician in a blinded fashion. The clinician will log the EEG results
as being either consistent with Alzheimer's disease or not. Finally, there will be analysis
of the initial clinical rating by clinicians in comparison to a given subject's EEG results
and interpretation. This will allow determination as to whether or not the clinical diagnosis
was in agreement or disagreement with the EEG data and interpretation. At this time point a
second clinician rating questionnaire will be completed to assess the current level of
confidence and diagnostic certainty in light of the now revealed EEG data in addition to
clinical data. There will also be quantitative analysis of MRI structural data regarding
regional atrophy patterns as well as Amyloid PET data for some of the participants which will
act as a diagnostic gold standard.

An additional aim of this study is to investigate patterns of impairment on memory testing in
older adults who are malingering and reporting a memory impairment in the absence of a
disorder. This aim will involve testing healthy older adults using EEG and also testing
memory impaired older adults with AD and comparing the results, as well as comparing the two
groups results on neuropsychologic measures of effort including the Test of Memory and
Malingering (TOMM).

Impact/Significance: This proposed study could allow for increased accuracy and diagnostic
certainty of the correct diagnosis among memory impaired patients and could allow for the
incorporation of a new clinical technique, EEG testing among memory impaired patients.

Inclusion Criteria: Cohort 1: Older adults with memory impairment: must have a physician or
primary caregiver report of memory loss and must be between 50 and 100 years old.

cohort 2: Older adults who test normally on neuropsychologic testing and have no history of
neurologic disorders.

Exclusion Criteria: Lack of reported memory loss by physician or primary caregiver who does
not meet age limits.