Often called the "Nobel Prize of Neurology," the Potamkin Prize honors and rewards researchers for their work in helping advance the understanding of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.
Morris is the Friedman Distinguished Professor of Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., and director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Washington University.
Petersen is a professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minn., and director of the Mayo Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.
Morris' research has focused on early stage Alzheimer's disease. "Intense interest in prodromal stages of Alzheimer's disease has prompted consideration of early detection methods," he said. "The Washington University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center approach incorporates informant observations with patient evaluations and results in the accurate identification of the earliest symptomatic stage of the disease. Current efforts focus on detection of preclinical Alzheimer's, prior to the onset of symptoms, using imaging modalities and assays of biological fluids."
John H. Growdon, MD, of Harvard University, who chaired the committee that selected the Prize recipients, said, "Dr. Morris' research has sharpened the boundary between truly healthy brain aging and incipient Alzheimer's disease. After establishing sensitive methods to distinguish Alzheimer's, he went on to show that amyloid plaques histologically signal the onset of AD years and possibly decades before clinical signs of dementia emerge. His findings point to a pre-clinical stage of AD that is an ideal target for potentia
'"/>
Contact: Marilee Reu
mreu@aan.com
651-695-2789
American Academy of Neurology
6-Apr-2005