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. 2009 May;2(3):163-80.
doi: 10.1177/1756285609102724.

Therapy for Alzheimer's Disease: How Effective are Current Treatments?

Krista L Lanctôt  1 , Ryan D Rajaram, Nathan Herrmann
Affiliations

Therapy for Alzheimer's Disease: How Effective are Current Treatments?

Krista L Lanctôt et al. Ther Adv Neurol Disord. 2009 May.

Abstract

Available symptomatic therapies for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been based on known neurotransmitter dysfunctions associated with the illness. The second-generation cholinesterase inhibitors and the N-methyl D-aspartate receptor antagonist memantine have been widely prescribed and studied. Meta-analyses of these therapies were reviewed, focusing on effectiveness and tolerability. Although many of the meta-analyses demonstrate statistically significant improvements, some question if these benefits are sufficient to justify their current widespread and protracted use. This has spurred the development of new disease-modifying therapies that aim to have a greater impact on this debilitating illness.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; beta amyloid; cholinesterase inhibitors; donepezil; galantamine; memantine; meta-analysis; rivastigmine; tacrine; tau protein.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Targets of Alzheimer's disease (AD) therapies. APP, amyloid precursor protein; 3-APS, 3-amino-1-propanesulfonic acid; GSK-3b, glycogen synthase kinase 3b; NMDA: N-methyl-D aspartate; PPAR-y agonist, peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor-gamma.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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