Dr. Petersen

ROCHESTER, Minn. — With nearly 40 sessions ranging from what to do after a diagnosis to how Alzheimer’s disease affects diverse communities, the [...]

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In what the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has described as a pioneering effort, a research team at

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Guojun Bu, Ph.D., a neuroscientist on Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus, will receive the 2016 MetLife Foundation [...]

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: How soon can Alzheimer’s disease be diagnosed? What are the early symptoms to watch for? ANSWER: There is no one test that can be used to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease. But based on an assessment of symptoms, along with a variety of tests and exams, Alzheimer’s can often be identified in its earliest stages. Seeking medical attention as soon as Alzheimer’s symptoms become noticeable is key to a prompt diagnosis. The most common early symptom of Alzheimer’s disease is forgetfulness. Distinguishing between memory loss that is due to aging and memory loss due to Alzheimer’s can be tricky, though. As people get older, the number of cells, or neurons, in the brain goes down. That can make it harder to learn new things or to remember familiar words. Older adults may have difficulty coming up with names of acquaintances, for example, or they may have trouble finding reading glasses or car keys. In most cases, these memory lapses do not signal the beginning of Alzheimer’s disease.

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: What is the difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s disease? Are they hereditary? ANSWER: Dementia is a broad term used to describe a group of symptoms that interferes with a person's thinking and the ability to function well in day-to-day activities. Many conditions can result in dementia, but Alzheimer’s disease is, by far, the most common. Because so many factors can lead to dementia, one cannot say that dementia, the syndrome, is hereditary. Rather, subtypes of dementia (for example, Alzheimer’s disease) may have inherited components. A rare form of Alzheimer’s disease is truly inherited, but that accounts for only 1 percent of the total disease. Typical Alzheimer’s disease, however, does have a tendency to run in families, and there are genetic tendencies. Dementia is defined by its symptoms, with memory loss being one of the most frequent. Just because a person has some memory loss, though, doesn’t necessarily mean he or she has dementia. A diagnosis of dementia typically means a person is having problems with at least two brain functions. That may include, for example, memory loss as well as impaired judgment or problems with language. These may in turn lead to difficulty performing routine tasks, such as paying bills or driving to a familiar location without getting lost.

Join us Saturday, March 29, at 9 a.m. CT, when we cover as much about Alzheimer's disease as we can in one hour! Director [...]

This afternoon, Mayo Clinic neurologist Ronald Petersen, M.D.,Ph.D., joined colleagues to testify before the Senate Special Committee on Aging regarding the status of the National [...]