Pre-dementia Alzheimer's trials: overview

Abstract

A series of negative clinical trials of disease-modifying agents for Alzheimer's disease has increased pessimism regarding the prospects for important therapeutic advances. But limited efficacy may be attributed in part to the advanced degree of neurodegeneration present at the onset of dementia. To optimize the likelihood of success, it is essential to develop the methodology to allow testing of disease-modifying treatments at an early stage of pathology, when modulation of pathophysiologic mechanisms may yield major clinical benefits.