Advancing research diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease: the IWG-2 criteria.

2014-06-01

Dubois, Bruno

Feldman, Howard H

Jacova, Claudia

Hampel, Harald

Molinuevo, José Luis

Blennow, Kaj

DeKosky, Steven T

Gauthier, Serge

Selkoe, Dennis

Bateman, Randall

Cappa, Stefano

Crutch, Sebastian

Engelborghs, Sebastiaan

Frisoni, Giovanni B

Fox, Nick C

Galasko, Douglas

Habert, Marie-Odile

Jicha, Gregory A

Nordberg, Agneta

Pasquier, Florence

Rabinovici, Gil

Robert, Philippe

Rowe, Christopher C

Salloway, Stephen

Sarazin, Marie

Epelbaum, Stéphane

de Souza, Leonardo C

Vellas, Bruno

Visser, Pieter J

Schneider, Lon

Stern, Yaakov

Scheltens, Philip

Cummings, Jeffrey L

Journal Article

10.1016/S1474-4422(14)70090-0

In the past 8 years, both the International Working Group (IWG) and the US National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer's Association have contributed criteria for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) that better define clinical phenotypes and integrate biomarkers into the diagnostic process, covering the full staging of the disease. This Position Paper considers the strengths and limitations of the IWG research diagnostic criteria and proposes advances to improve the diagnostic framework. On the basis of these refinements, the diagnosis of AD can be simplified, requiring the presence of an appropriate clinical AD phenotype (typical or atypical) and a pathophysiological biomarker consistent with the presence of Alzheimer's pathology. We propose that downstream topographical biomarkers of the disease, such as volumetric MRI and fluorodeoxyglucose PET, might better serve in the measurement and monitoring of the course of disease. This paper also elaborates on the specific diagnostic criteria for atypical forms of AD, for mixed AD, and for the preclinical states of AD.

link

The Lancet. Neurology; 13(6): 614-29

The Lancet. Neurology