Leonard Berg
Encyclopedia
Leonard Berg was a neurologist at Washington University in St. Louis
and a specialist in dementia
and Alzheimer's disease
. He was instrumental in the development of the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale, a tool commonly used in research of these diseases.
Born in St. Louis
, Missouri
, Berg studied at Washington University, earning both his undergraduate and medical degrees there. He became an assistant professor of clinical neurology there in 1956, and also maintained a private practice from 1972–89. He became a professor of neurology and from 1985 to 1998 directed Washington's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. In 1985, he was also named president of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
.
During the 1980s, Berg helped developed a series of tests to assess a patient's level of dementia by determining their abilities in language, memory, and everyday tasks. A numerical scale was established, with a 0 corresponding to no symptoms and a 3 representing severe symptoms. The tool developed into the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale, and has gained wide acceptance in Alzheimer's disease research.
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
and a specialist in dementia
Dementia
Dementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging...
and Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
. He was instrumental in the development of the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale, a tool commonly used in research of these diseases.
Born in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, Berg studied at Washington University, earning both his undergraduate and medical degrees there. He became an assistant professor of clinical neurology there in 1956, and also maintained a private practice from 1972–89. He became a professor of neurology and from 1985 to 1998 directed Washington's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. In 1985, he was also named president of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation that was founded in 1934 following conferences of committees appointed by the American Psychiatric Association, the American Neurological Association, and the then Section on Nervous and Mental Diseases of the American...
.
During the 1980s, Berg helped developed a series of tests to assess a patient's level of dementia by determining their abilities in language, memory, and everyday tasks. A numerical scale was established, with a 0 corresponding to no symptoms and a 3 representing severe symptoms. The tool developed into the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale, and has gained wide acceptance in Alzheimer's disease research.