Last week, the Food and Drug Administration approved aducanumab to treat Alzheimer’s disease, which is a progressive brain disorder that is the most common cause of dementia.

Aducanumab targets amyloid plaques in the brain that are believed to be an essential component of Alzheimer’s disease. But what does the approval of a new Alzheimer's drug mean for patients?

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Ronald Petersen, a Mayo Clinic neurologist and director of Mayo Clinic’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, and Dr. David Knopman, a Mayo Clinic neurologist, discuss the challenges ahead to identify the appropriate patients for treatment with aducanumab.