Many patients, families, and other concerned individuals have contacted us here at Penn about the Alzheimer’s disease biomarker test that has been covered recently in the news. As described in the press release, this test is not yet commercially available to the public and is currently being used in only research, but not clinical testing. We appreciate your interest and have provided information below to address common questions.

If you or a loved one notice memory problems that are not normal:

• You should first make an appointment for a clinical evaluation at a nearby Alzheimer’s Disease Center, a university medical center, or contact the local Alzheimer’s Association chapter (www.alz.org, info@alz.org or 1.800.272.3900) to find Alzheimer’s clinical experts in your area.
• If you live near Philadelphia, individuals and families can come to the Penn Memory Center for evaluation and treatment of symptoms of age related memory loss.
  • The staff includes physicians trained in neurology, geriatric psychiatry, geriatric medicine and psychology, as well as nurse clinicians, psychometricians, social workers and clinical research managers.
  • For more information on what a typical first visit includes, visit www.pennadc.org.
  • To make an appointment, please call 215-662-7810.
  • Para a los pacientes de habla hispana con problemas de memoria y otros signos relacionados con la demencia, se puede comunicar al teléfono 215-614-1829.

If you or your loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease:

If you or your loved one have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and you would like a second opinion, are interested in joining a clinical trial, or would like to receive this biomarker test for research purposes, there are many research centers around the country that are conducting research.

• Updated information on clinical trials is available through the Alzheimer's Disease Clinical Trials Database, a joint project of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institute on Aging (NIA), maintained by the NIA's Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center.
  • You can search for trials at http://www.alzheimers.org/clinicaltrials/search.asp
  • Additional trials being conducted at research institutions can be found at Clinicaltrials.gov.
• This biomarker test is being studied at more than 50 centers around the U.S. and Canada. To find a center near you, go to http://www.loni.ucla.edu/ADNI/About/About_Sites.shtml.  
• If you live near Philadelphia, and are interested in clinical trials and related studies to improve diagnosis and treatment, please contact Penn Memory Center’s research coordinator, Deborah Rooney at 215-662-7810.

If you have a family history of Alzheimer's disease:

If you have a family history of Alzheimer’s disease or are concerned about your genetic risk for cognitive impairments, you should contact a certified genetic counselor, who can determine if you are at risk, investigate your family history, analyze inheritance patterns and review available options with the family.

• The National Society of Genetic Counselors has a list of certified genetic counselors near you: http://www.nsgc.org/resourcelink.cfm
• If you live near Philadelphia or would like to be part of family/genetic research studies at the University of Pennsylvania, please contact Beth McCarty Wood at 215-662-6014.