What can one expect during an initial diagnostic visit with a physician?
When someone sees a doctor about complaints of memory loss, the first thing the doctor will do is take a complete history, including a family medical history. This information will help the doctor determine whether anyone else in the family has had Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or if the disease is due to other neuropsychological diseases, such as depression or schizophrenia. If AD is a concern, the doctor will assess memory and function through a series of cognitive and memory tests, perform a physical examination, and take laboratory tests. During the exam, the doctor may ask some questions about behavioral symptoms. The doctor will also need information about lifestyle, nutrition, and environment, so you should be as open and detailed as you can. Honesty is very important because it will help the doctor make the right diagnosis. After the initial examination, some doctors may choose to use an imaging study, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET scan)
