Why the tolerance of potential harms? Research ethics in Alzheimer disease

This article summarizes the history of presentations to the National Bioethics Advisory Commission (NBAC) by representatives of the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association, Inc., on the topic of human subjects research ethics. The interactions between these two bodies presents a useful profile of a public commission and a voluntary association working to clarify issues of great importance to the association's constituency. The context of epidemiology and ongoing research is also briefly presented. The author is a member of the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association, Inc., National Ethics Advisory Panel, and in that role presented the Association position before NBAC and at the Friends Research Institute conference.