David Wolk, MD: Utilizing MRI in Alzheimer Disease

"As we’re moving earlier and trying to treat conditions before people have significant symptoms, the ability to detect really subtle changes of brain injury becomes really important because we can’t really use memory tests and other things that we use in people who are cognitively normal—they’re just not as sensitive. These kinds of measures with MRI allow us to see that if we give someone this drug, is it actually slowing down the degenerative change that’s occurring in the brain."

The use of different imaging techniques has proven to be a bright spot recent years for the Alzheimer's dementia specialty that has longed for a successful pharmacologic intervention to be developed. Despite the frustration on the treatment front, however, methods such as PET and MRI have allowed clinicians to better understand and detect the disease in its earlier stages.

In a plenary session at the 2019 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, July 14-18, in Los Angeles, California, David Wolk, MD, associate professor of neurology, co-director, University of Pennsylvania Memory Center, provided an update on the use of MRI in neurodegenerative disorders. He noted that MRI is one of the most useful tools in the diagnosis of Alzheimer disease--not only due to its inexpensive and noninvasive nature and widespread availability, but for its ability to track the disease over time.

Wolk 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. Wolk, who will discuss gaps in care and the need for novel therapies, 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 Irwin, MD, assistant professor and cognitive neurologist at the University of Pennsylvania Frontotemporal Degeneration 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.

REFERENCES

Wolk D. Imaging Neurodegeneration with MRI: What Is New? Presented at: 2019 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. July 14-18, 2019; Los Angeles, CA. Plenary PL-04-01.