The challenge of the dementias. Writing Committee, Lancet Conference 1996.

Cognitive decline is a common feature of ageing, sometimes gentle at other times less so. It manifests as a wide spectrum from cognitive impairment that is not dementia to Alzheimer's disease and to the much rarer but potentially enlightening familial forms. The Lancet's 1996 international conference was held in Edinburgh, UK, on April 25 and 26. The meeting brought together epidemiologists, geneticists, neuropsychologists, neuropathologists, clinicians, and imaging specialists, and those concentrating on the social and ethical aspects of the dementias. Half the conference was devoted to discussion that crossed specialty boundaries. This report highlights the major areas of agreement and controversy and points to opportunities for future multidisciplinary research.