David Irwin, MD: Differentiating Dementias in Living Patients

“As we get more and more data from looking at large autopsy series, both from the community and from research centers, we see that the picture is much more complex, and while these clinical diagnoses are much more useful for us, most likely, we will need help from biomarkers or emerging tests to detect pathologies in living patients.”

While physicians such as David Irwin, MD, assistant professor and cognitive neurologist, University of Pennsylvania Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, have been fortunate to see a number of increases in technology for identifying and understanding the different types of dementia, the field still faces diagnostic challenges as many dementia disorders share mixed pathologies.

This can come into play, for instance, due to the crossover between Alzheimer disease pathology and Lewy body dementia pathology, or the intersection between Lewy body and Parkinson disease pathology. The impact of these mixed pathologies can be felt everywhere, from diagnostics to clinical trial patient selection. Irwin spoke about the challenges in a session at the 2019 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, July 14-18, in Los Angeles, California, and then with NeurologyLive in an interview.

Irwin will provide additional insights on Alzheimer disease at the upcoming International Congress on the Future of Neurology, taking place September 27-28, 2019 at the InterContinental New York Times Square. Irwin, who will discuss the role of emerging therapies in Alzheimer disease, will be joined by other leaders in the field, including Richard Isaacson, MD, director of the Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell, and David Wolk, MD, associate professor of neurology and co-director of the University of Pennsylvania Memory Center, who will present various topics during a session titled "Alzheimer's Dementia: Targeting the Neurobiology."

The 2-day Congress will feature a rigorous agenda of presentations, question and answer sessions, and lightning rounds highlighting topics across the breadth of neurology, including the latest in stroke medicine, multiple sclerosis, dementia, movement disorders, and epilepsy. Congress Chair Stephen D. Silberstein, MD, professor of neurology and director of the Jefferson Headache Center in Philadelphia, will be joined by dozens of faculty from top institutions who will offer their expertise on various topics, sharing the latest data and best practices to better inform clinical decision-making.

For more information on the Congress and to register, click here. Receive 25% off registration fees with code Neuro19SI.

REFERENCE

Irwin D. Alzheimer’s and Lewy Body Disease: Pathologic Perspective. Presented at: 2019 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. July 14-18, 2019; Los Angeles, CA. Session S3-01-03