Changes in Alzheimer disease

The first signs of Alzheimer disease are memory loss and changes in behaviour and personality. Doctors look for a decline in mental abilities by testing the patient's memory and attention span. Brain scans can detect changes in the brain as Alzheimer disease progresses. The mass of nerve cells gradually shrinks in the brains of people with Alzheimer disease.

People with Alzheimer disease have difficulties with drawing a clock face with the hands at a quarter to two. This has been used as a screening test to detect AD. Simon Lovestone, Institute of Psychiatry, London