Clinical and research diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease.

In contrast with the previous criteria published in 1984 by the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association, the new criteria proposed in 2007 incorporated in the diagnostic framework the use of biomarkers that are able to assess the underlying pathophysiologic mechanism. The combination of clinical and biologic approaches makes a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease possible before the dementia stage. The core clinical criteria continue to be the cornerstone of the diagnosis in clinical practice, but biomarker evidence is expected to enhance the specificity for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.