The Memory Disorders Center at Johns Hopkins is a joint program between the Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Medicine. This is because there is no simple standard test for the most common causes of memory decline. Thus, clinicians with expertise in psychiatry, neurology, neuropsychology and medicine participate. It may take input from each of these specialties to accurately diagnose your problem.

Our first goal is to determine whether a patient has a memory disorder or if their problems are related to normal aging. The boundary between the early phases of disease and normal aging is not well understood, and some of the leading researchers working in this area are at Johns Hopkins. Clinicians with decades of experience in diagnosing and treating these disorders are available at our Center.

The interdisciplinary team of clinicians in the Memory Disorders Center includes neurologists with expertise in treating vascular disease of the brain. They will recommend diagnostic procedures and treatment. The center includes psychiatrists with international recognition for their work on the interaction between mood disorders (such as depression) and memory disorders. They provide expertise in the treatment of behavioral problems associated with memory disorders.

The current treatments for memory disorders are, however, not optimal. That is why the faculty of the Memory Disorders Center are involved with a range of research projects aimed at improved treatments for patients.

The ultimate goal is to treat people as early as possible in the course of disease. The faculty of the Memory Disorders Center conduct research on early diagnosis and treatment, with the hope that prevention of these diseases may one day be possible.