Finding the Path in Alzheimer’s Disease

Faculty

Sharon Cohen, MD, FRCPC
Medical Director, Toronto Memory Program
Assistant Professor, University of Toronto
Consultant Neurologist, North York General
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

R. Scott Turner, MD, PhD
Director, Memory Disorders Program
Professor, Department of Neurology
Georgetown University Medical Center
Washington, District of Columbia

Target Audience

The educational design of this activity addresses the needs of primary care providers (PCPs) and other clinicians who manage patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Statement of Need/Program Overview

AD is a common neurodegenerative condition that results in a range of profoundly disabling cognitive, affective, and behavioral symptoms. It affects approximately 5.8 million Americans.¹ Barring significant clinical efforts and medical breakthroughs that prevent or slow disease development, current estimates suggest that by 2050, AD will afflict 14 million patients in the United States.¹ PCPs are on the front lines of early diagnosis of AD, yet many say they feel unprepared and their community lacks adequate specialists in this area.¹ Signs and symptoms of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and even early AD are often conflated with normal aging, leading to late or missed diagnosis.^1,2 This is compounded by the lack of a sense of urgency for early, accurate diagnosis because there are no disease-modifying therapies to treat MCI or AD.^1,3,4 This eHealth Source activity reviews the pathophysiology of AD, early signs and symptoms, diagnosis first steps, referral patterns, more-complex diagnostic procedures, and existing nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic management strategies. Drs Cohen and Turner provide expert insight into how PCPs can tailor their practice to better care for these patients.

References

1. Alzheimer’s Association. 2020 Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures. https://www.alz.org/media/Documents/alzheimers-facts-and-figures.pdf. Accessed November 5, 2020.
2. Judge D, et al. Int J Alzheimers Dis. 2019;2019:3637954.
3. Hampel H, et al. Brain. 2018;141(7):1917-1933.
4. Cummings JL, et al. Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2015;2(3):307-323.

Educational Objectives

After completing this activity, the participant should be better able to:

• Describe clinically relevant aspects of AD pathophysiology, including amyloid β and tau
• Evaluate patients at risk for MCI and AD using cognitive scales, imaging, clinical examination, and patient/caregiver interviews
• Identify cases of MCI and AD early during the disease course using current diagnostic criteria and available referral pathways
• Collaboratively care for patients with AD using available therapeutic modalities, education on the disease and new treatment options, and open communication with patients and caregivers

Program Agenda

Chapter 1: Pathophysiology of AD
Chapter 2: Signs and symptoms of MCI and AD
Chapter 3: Diagnosing early-stage AD
Chapter 4: Current and emerging management of AD

Physician Accreditation Statement

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of Global Education Group (Global) and Integritas Communications. Global is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Physician Credit Designation

Global designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 1.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

 Nurse Practitioner Continuing Education

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Accreditation Standards of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) through the joint providership of Global and Integritas Communications. Global is accredited by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners as an approved provider of nurse practitioner continuing education. Provider number: 110121. This activity is approved for 1.75 contact hours (which includes 0.4 hours of pharmacology).

Global Contact Information

For information about the accreditation of this program, please contact Global at 303-395-1782 or cme@globaleducationgroup.com.

Integritas Communications Contact Information

For all other questions about this program, please contact Integritas Communications at info@exchangecme.com. 

Instructions to Receive Credit

In order to receive credit for this activity, the participant must complete the preactivity questionnaire, score 75% or better on the posttest, and complete the program evaluation. 

Fee Information & Refund/Cancellation Policy

There is no fee for this educational activity.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

Global requires instructors, planners, managers and other individuals and their spouse/life partner who are in a position to control the content of this activity to disclose any real or apparent conflict of interest they may have as related to the content of this activity. All identified conflicts of interest are thoroughly vetted by Global for fair balance, scientific objectivity of studies mentioned in the materials or used as the basis for content, and appropriateness of patient care recommendations.

The faculty reported the following financial relationships or relationships to products or devices they or their spouse/life partner have with commercial interests related to the content of this CME activity:

The planners and managers reported the following financial relationships or relationships to products or devices they or their spouse/life partner have with commercial interests related to the content of this CME activity:

Disclosure of Unlabeled Use

This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. Global and Integritas Communications do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications. 

The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of any organization associated with this activity. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.

Disclaimer

Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of patient conditions and possible contraindications on dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.

System Requirements