Treatment of Alzheimers' disease

Abstract

AD is a devastating neurodegenerative disease that is common among the elderly. Despite intense efforts, there is no proven preventive treatment and no "cure" for the disease. There are, however, drug treatments that have proven efficacy in treating the cognitive symptoms of AD, such as the cholinesterase inhibitors tacrine, donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine. There are also treatments that have been shown to slow disease progression, including vitamin E and selegiline. Promising therapies still under investigation include the use of NSAIDs or estrogen to prevent or delay disease onset. Research continues into ways of affecting basic disease processes such as amyloid aggregation.