The assessment of people with memory problems and dementia will take up to 60 minutes at initial consultation and will involve detailed acquisition of information from the affected individual and preferably also a family member or close friend. This will be followed by a neurological examination and then an assessment of memory and thinking using a standardised cognitive test. Typically investigations will involve use of state-of-the-art high resolution brain MRI scans to look for loss of brain volume and evidence of blood vessel blockage, and this may be supplemented by more detailed cognitive assessments performed by a neuropsychologist. If required, spinal fluid-based testing of biological markers of Alzheimer's disease can be arranged to aid diagnosis of pre-dementia Alzheimer's disease.
Memory disorders & dementia
