Competence Network Dementia

About one million Germans suffer from dementia. Each year about 200,000 new cases are diagnosed. Forecasts indicate that these figures will double in the next 40 to 50 years. Dementing illnesses are brain diseases which mainly occur in old age. Symptoms include memory deficits, deterioration of orientation, disturbed attention, problems in carrying out everyday tasks, speech difficulties and changes in personality. In advanced stages patients need intensive care.
The causes of dementia can be many and varied. In the most common form, Alzheimer’s disease, the disorder derives from deposits in the brain and a loss of nerve cells. The second most common form, vascular dementia, is caused by damaged cerebral vessels. Currently, most forms of dementia cannot be cured. However, with improved use of existing diagnostic and therapeutic measures the progression of Alzheimer’s disease can be delayed.

Decisive progress in the medical care of demented persons is expected to be achieved by the targeted pooling of expert capabilities and by improved early diagnosis. This is where the Competence Network Dementia, which is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, comes into play. The Competence Network is a nationwide combination of 13 leading university centers in the field of dementia research. Furthermore, regional psychiatric hospitals, geriatric units in general hospitals, neurologists and family practitioners in private practices, commercial partners as well as care-giver support groups such as the German Alzheimer’s Association take part in the network.

Competence Network goals and projects

The central goals of the Competence Network include the implementation of 3 major nationwide research projects:

Module E1 "Early recognition and diagnosis" focuses on the improvement of diagnostic accuracy and on whether biological markers can be used to improve the early diagnosis of dementing illnesses.

In the second module E2 "Therapy" patients with mild cognitive impairment and patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease are for the first time being treated with a combination of Galatamine and Memantine in clinical tests to assess the efficacy of a combination regimen.

The module E3 "Epidemiology and genetics" aims to deliver new findings by collecting epidemiological data through general practitioners on the development and course of dementia in and to identify risk factors. In addition, there are plans to create a central gene database for dementing illnesses.

Further aspects of the network’s research will be the development of standardized guidelines for diagnosis and therapy of dementing illnesses. An improvement in the early recognition and therapy of such illnesses by general practitioners is to be achieved by creating suitable work structures to intensify the exchange of knowledge between scientists and practitioners, as well as through special training and educational services.

Press releases

Further Information: www.kompetenznetz-demenzen.de/