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Clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease: report of the NINCDS-ADRDA Work Group under the auspices of Department of Health and Human Services Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease
McKhann G, Drachman D, Folstein M, Katzman R, Price D, Stadlan EM.. Neurology, 1984-07-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Clinical criteria for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease include insidious onset and progressive impairment of memory and other cognitive functions. There are no motor, sensory, or coordination deficits early in the disease. The diagnosis cannot be determined by laboratory tests. These tests are important primarily in identifying other possible causes of dementia that must be excluded before the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease may be made with confidence. Neuropsychological tests provide confirmatory evidence of the diagnosis of dementia and help to assess the course and response to therapy. The criteria proposed are intended to serve as a guide for the diagnosis of probable, possible, and definite Alzheimer's disease; these criteria will be revised as more definitive information become available.
Key findings
- There are no motor, sensory, or coordination deficits early in the disease.
- The diagnosis cannot be determined by laboratory tests.
- These tests are important primarily in identifying other possible causes of dementia that must be excluded before the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease may be made with confidence.
- Neuropsychological tests provide confirmatory evidence of the diagnosis of dementia and help to assess the course and response to therapy.
- The criteria proposed are intended to serve as a guide for the diagnosis of probable, possible, and definite Alzheimer's disease; these criteria will be revised as more definitive information become available.
Why it matters
These 1984 criteria describe how to diagnose probable, possible, and definite Alzheimer's disease clinically, noting that no laboratory test can determine the diagnosis and that other causes of dementia must be excluded. They are diagnostic guidance, not a treatment or prevention for the disease.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 58/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on institution's track record, so that was left out: it earned 56 of the 97 points we could judge it on, which is 58 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Neurology: journal h-index 525 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 1984 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 7 / 7 | Cited 27,946 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 635.1 citations a year over 44 year(s) since 1984 |
| Impact for its field and year | 6 / 6 | Cited 87.7× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 6 / 6 | Cited by 1,838 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 4 / 4 | Cited 1,274 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Emanuel M. Stadlan: h-index 12 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 0 institution(s) in 0 countries — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 6610841) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 56 / 97 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 56 of the 97 points we could judge it on is 58 out of 100. |
| Total | 58 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
McKhann, G., Drachman, D., Folstein, M., Katzman, R., Price, D., & Stadlan, E. M. (1984). Clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease: report of the NINCDS-ADRDA Work Group under the auspices of Department of Health and Human Services Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.34.7.939
Vancouver
McKhann G, Drachman D, Folstein M, Katzman R, Price D, Stadlan EM. Clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease: report of the NINCDS-ADRDA Work Group under the auspices of Department of Health and Human Services Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease. Neurology. 1984. doi:10.1212/wnl.34.7.939. PMID: 6610841.
BibTeX
@article{mckhann1984-6610841,
author = {McKhann, G. and Drachman, D. and Folstein, M. and Katzman, R. and Price, D. and Stadlan, E. M.},
title = {{Clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease: report of the NINCDS-ADRDA Work Group under the auspices of Department of Health and Human Services Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {1984},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.34.7.939},
pmid = {6610841},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.34.7.939}
}
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