Fisher symposium: strategies for the prevention of Alzheimer disease--overview of research planning meeting III.

Abstract

Even though the prospect for preventing Alzheimer disease seems remote now, a plan must be developed to reach this goal in order to avoid a fiscal crisis in the health care system. The goals of delaying Alzheimer disease and eventually preventing it will become possible as more is learned about the brain mechanisms and risk factors involved. In response to a 1994 Congressional report, the National Institute on Aging in cooperation with the Zachary and Elizabeth M. Fisher Medical Foundation sponsored a workshop to address potential strategies for the prevention of Alzheimer disease. The workshop helped to identify the necessary resources and the types of technical problems involved in developing methods to prevent Alzheimer disease. This volume presents the position papers which served as the springboard for the discussions at the workshop, out of which developed a number of specific recommendations including new epidemiological studies for well defined population groups, identification of high risk populations for treatment and prevention studies, and coupling of new questions and add-on investigations to in-progress studies.