The Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) used clinical and histopathologic findings to establish the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.
Parameters:
(1) age-related plaque score from histologic examination of the brain (previous section)
(2) clinical findings of dementia
(3) other histopathologic lesions likely to cause dementia
Age-Related Plaque Score |
Clinical History of Dementia |
Other Lesions |
Diagnosis |
0 |
negative |
negative |
not AD or DP (a) |
A |
negative |
NA (positive or negative) |
not AD or DP (b) |
0 |
positive |
negative |
not AD or DP (c) |
A |
positive |
positive or negative |
possible (a) |
B or C |
negative |
NA (positive or negative) |
possible (b) |
B |
positive |
positive or negative |
probable |
C |
positive |
positive or negative |
definite |
where:
• I use the term "not AD or DP" in the table above. The original table uses "normal (with respect to AD or other dementing processes)".
• I found the wording for normal (c) a little ambiguous; it did not really specify the plaque score finding. However, I worded it to be distinctive from possible(a).
• Lesions that could cause dementia would seem to have diagnostic power only if the plaque score is 0.
• Not AD(b) and possible (b) did not have the other lesions findings specified. I used "positive or negative" in the implementation.
• The following pattern was not specified in the table.
Age-Related Plaque Score |
Clinical History of Dementia |
Other Lesions |
Diagnosis |
0 |
positive |
positive |
possible |
Specialty: Neurology