The Memory Clinic--outpatient assessment when dementia is suspected.

The patients who are assessed at Oslo University Hospital's Memory Clinic are young--half of them are under 65 years of age. Most are suffering from mild cognitive impairment or dementia at a very early phase while others come to get a second opinion. The assessment takes 2 - 3 hours and is conducted by a doctor and a nurse. It includes a clinical investigation, cognitive testing, an MRI scan with measurement of the medial temporal lobes, a lumbar puncture and single-photon-emission tomography (SPECT of the brain).