The Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Center was established in 1989. The center relocated from Memorial Hospital to Rhode Island Hospital in 2005 to combine its high quality neurological services with the exceptional neuropsychologic and psychiatric services of Rhode Island Hospital, thus creating a comprehensive diagnostic and treatment center for patients with memory disorders.
The most common chronic memory disorder is Alzheimer’s disease, which affects approximately 5 million people in the United States. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disorder of the brain that slowly destroys a person’s memory and ability to learn, reason, communicate and perform daily activities. Another common memory disorder, vascular dementia, occurs when blood flow to the nerve cells in the brain is reduced.
Because there are more than 70 different causes of dementia, a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation is an important first step when dealing with symptoms of memory loss.