This document summarizes a report on the current state of knowledge of the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and on the primary research activities carried out in these areas during the year 2000 under the auspices of the National Institute of Aging and other units of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the United States of America. In research on the etiology of the disease, key areas of attention have included amyloid, presenilins, apolipoprotein E, and other genetic ties; apoptosis; and protein aggregation in other neurodegenerative diseases. With respect to diagnosis, the progress that has been made is analyzed in the areas of neuroimaging and neuropsychological tests, clinical-pathological correlations, and the identification of biological disease markers, with the goal of being able to diagnose the disease before irreversible cognitive and functional deterioration takes place.

Research on pharmacological treatment has been centered on three primary concerns:

short-term maintenance of cognitive function, disease prevention, and treatment of behavioral symptoms. Another subject of great importance is support for those who provide care for patients. The report also deals with several areas related to research infrastructure and the contributions of other units of the NIH.