Quick Answer
Research participation involves more appointments than routine care, strict eligibility that excludes most volunteers, and often a placebo arm. It is not a route to treatment. The practice participates in cognitive and neurodegenerative research, and current study availability is confirmed directly rather than published here.
Part ofThis guide sits beneath research and clinical trials, which covers the study itself, how it is performed and what the report should contain.
our research and clinical trials page →Key Takeaways
- Research is not treatment. Many studies include a placebo arm and a study may show no benefit or harm.
- Participation means more appointments on a fixed schedule, lengthy assessments, and often a study partner.
- Eligibility is strict and screening excludes more people than it enrols.
- You may withdraw at any time without affecting your ordinary clinical care.
- Prevention studies frequently enrol people without symptoms, so no diagnosis does not rule you out.
Clinical trial
A clinical trial is a research study that tests a medical question under a written protocol with ethical oversight and informed consent. Participation is voluntary and separate from the clinical care a practice provides.
Research is not treatment, and that distinction is the whole thing
The most important thing to understand before considering any study is that participation is not a route to treatment. It is a contribution to answering a question that is not yet answered.
What that means concretely
An investigational treatment is being studied because nobody yet knows whether it works. Many studies involve a placebo arm, meaning some participants receive no active treatment, and in blinded studies neither you nor the investigators know which you are receiving. A study may show the treatment does not work, or that it causes harm. None of that is a failure of the study; establishing those answers is what the study is for. Any page presenting a trial as access to a therapy expected to work has misrepresented it.
What participation actually involves
More appointments than routine care, frequently substantially more, with visits following a fixed schedule rather than clinical need. Detailed assessments including cognitive testing that can run for hours. Blood work, and in some studies imaging or lumbar puncture. A study partner, meaning someone who knows you well and attends to provide an informant account, is required for many dementia studies rather than optional. And a commitment measured in months or years.
Eligibility is strict, and most volunteers do not qualify
This is worth saying plainly because the disappointment is real. Criteria specify age ranges, cognitive test score bands, biomarker status, permitted and prohibited medications, and other medical conditions. Screening frequently excludes more people than it enrols, and being excluded is not a judgement about you. It is worth knowing before you invest in the screening process rather than after.
Your rights
Informed consent is a process rather than a form: you should understand the purpose, the procedures, the risks, the alternatives and the commitment before agreeing. You may withdraw at any time without giving a reason and without affecting your ordinary clinical care. Studies are reviewed by an independent ethics board before they begin. And you should never feel that declining a study will affect how you are treated as a patient.
| Also considered | How it is distinguished |
|---|---|
| Standard clinical care | Follows established treatment; a trial follows a research protocol with defined visits and measures. |
| Observational registry | Collects data without assigning treatment. |
| Expanded access | A pathway to an unapproved therapy outside a trial, under separate rules. |
| Screening evaluation | Determines eligibility; it is not itself enrolment. |
What the practice does, and what it will not tell you here
01
What brings people in
Interest in participating in research, often after a memory concern or a family history question.
02
What the evaluation settles
Whether an open study matches your situation, what the protocol involves, and what participation would and would not change about your care.
03
What you leave with
A clear explanation of eligibility and the consent process, and a decision that leaves your ongoing clinical care unaffected.
Research alongside clinical practice
The practice participates in clinical research in cognitive and neurodegenerative disease alongside its clinical work, including through affiliation with the Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation. Participating in research at a practice where you are also a patient has a genuine advantage: your clinical history is already known and your baseline is documented rather than reconstructed.
Why no specific study is described on this page
This page does not name individual studies, describe their protocols, or state whether they are currently enrolling. That is deliberate. Enrolment status changes frequently, eligibility criteria are detailed and specific, and a page describing a study that has closed or misstating a criterion wastes the reader’s time and can create false expectation. The reliable route is to ask directly, or to consult the public registry at ClinicalTrials.gov, which carries current status and full criteria for registered studies.
How to ask
Call and say you are interested in research participation, and describe your situation: your age, whether you have cognitive symptoms or are asymptomatic, any diagnosis, and your medication list. Prevention studies frequently enrol people without symptoms, which surprises people, so having no diagnosis does not rule you out.
What is not offered
No inpatient research. No paediatric studies, since the practice sees adults 18 and older. And research participation is never a substitute for clinical care, which continues in parallel.
The first 30, 60 and 90 days
Step 1
First visit
History and neurological examination, a review of records and prior imaging, and a decision on which studies are actually indicated. You leave with the plan, not just a referral.
Step 2
Within 30 days
Indicated in-office studies are performed and interpreted by the neurologist who ordered them, in our AANEM-accredited laboratories. Results are explained in plain language.
Step 3
60 to 90 days
Follow-up to judge whether the plan is working, adjust it, and coordinate with your referring clinician. Where a diagnosis needs time to confirm, this is where it is revisited.
Attending from Las Vegas
The Las Vegas office is at 7751 W. Flamingo Road, Suite A-100, in Sunrise Medical Plaza, with parking on site. All six in-office studies are performed and interpreted there, so nothing is sent across to Henderson. If you are coming from Summerlin, Spring Valley or Enterprise this is almost always the shorter journey. Adults 18 and older.
Interested in research participation?
Call and describe your situation. Prevention studies often enrol people without symptoms.
The Bottom Line
Ask what you would do differently depending on a result, and ask directly about current studies rather than relying on any published list. Research is a contribution, not a treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is joining a study a way to get treatment?
No, and this is the most important thing to understand. An investigational treatment is being studied because nobody yet knows whether it works. Many studies include a placebo arm, and a study may show the treatment does not work or causes harm. Ordinary clinical care continues regardless of whether you take part.
What does participation involve?
More appointments than routine care, following a fixed schedule rather than clinical need. Detailed assessments including cognitive testing that can run for hours, blood work, and in some studies imaging or lumbar puncture. Many dementia studies require a study partner who attends with you. Travel and time commitment are worth weighing realistically before consenting.
Will I definitely qualify?
Most volunteers do not, and that is worth knowing before investing in screening. Criteria specify age ranges, cognitive score bands, biomarker status, permitted medications and other conditions. Being excluded is not a judgement about you. Screening itself sometimes produces useful clinical information even where enrolment does not follow from it.
Can I change my mind?
Yes, at any time and without giving a reason, and it will not affect your ordinary clinical care. Informed consent is a process rather than a form, and declining a study should never affect how you are treated as a patient. Withdrawing does not require you to justify the decision to anyone.
Do I need a diagnosis to take part?
Not necessarily. Prevention studies frequently enrol people without symptoms, which surprises people. Having no diagnosis does not rule you out, and having one does not by itself establish eligibility. Asking what is currently open, and what the criteria actually are, takes one conversation and saves a considerable amount of guesswork later.
Why does this page not describe specific studies?
Because enrolment status changes frequently and eligibility criteria are detailed and specific. A page describing a closed study or misstating a criterion wastes your time and creates false expectation. Ask directly, or consult the public registry at ClinicalTrials.gov. The registry lists status, location and contact details, and it is updated far more often than any practice page.
Does a positive Alzheimer’s blood test mean I will get dementia?
No. A marker suggesting amyloid pathology in someone with no cognitive symptoms does not establish that they will develop dementia. Pathology can be present for years or decades without symptoms, and some people with markers never become symptomatic. That is why these tests are interpreted in context rather than reported as a simple yes or no.
Should I get a biomarker test?
Ask what you would do differently depending on the answer. These tests are most interpretable in someone already being assessed for cognitive symptoms. In an asymptomatic person seeking reassurance, a result frequently produces anxiety it cannot resolve. Discussing it before testing, rather than after a result arrives, is the part that protects you.
Where exactly is the Las Vegas office?
7751 W. Flamingo Road, Suite A-100, Las Vegas NV 89147, in Sunrise Medical Plaza on the west side of the valley, with parking on site. All six in-office studies are performed and interpreted there, so nothing is referred across to the Henderson office. Summerlin, Spring Valley and Enterprise are generally closer to it than to Horizon Ridge Parkway.
Should I use the Las Vegas or the Henderson office?
Whichever is the shorter drive, since both are fully equipped and hold the same records. West Flamingo Road generally suits the west and southwest of the valley; West Horizon Ridge Parkway suits Green Valley, Anthem and Boulder City. If you can attend either, say so when booking, because availability differs between the two week to week.
How this page was sourced
Practice facts come from Clinical Neurology Specialists directly: that the practice participates in clinical research in cognitive and neurodegenerative disease including through affiliation with the Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation, and that it sees adults 18 and older. Clinical context is sourced to the organisations listed below.
NO INDIVIDUAL STUDY IS NAMED OR DESCRIBED, no protocol, eligibility criterion or enrolment status is stated, and no benefit of participation is suggested. Enrolment status changes frequently and a published criterion could mislead. No biomarker test result is characterised as diagnostic or predictive. No outcome is promised. Scope is adults 18 and older.
Change log
- 2026-07-28 — page published; clinical content reviewed.
- — last reviewed against AAN, AANEM and NINDS guidance; internal links and schema verified.
- Review cadence: quarterly, or sooner if guidance changes.
How to cite this page
Clinical Neurology Specialists. “Alzheimer's prevention study Las Vegas.” Reviewed 2026-07-28. https://www.cnsnevada.com/research/alzheimers-prevention-study-las-vegas/
References
- National Institute on Aging — public information on Alzheimer’s research and prevention.
- ClinicalTrials.gov — the public registry of clinical studies and their eligibility criteria.
- Alzheimer's Association — patient and carer information on dementia and research.
This page is for general information about a Clinical Neurology Specialists office and is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment recommendation. It does not create a physician-patient relationship. Adults 18 and older. For an active stroke, a first-time or prolonged seizure, sudden severe headache, sudden weakness, sudden vision loss, or a head injury with loss of consciousness, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.