A Review of Pharmacological Treatments for Depression in Alzheimer's Disease

Abstract

Depression in Alzheimer's disease (dAD) is one of the most common behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, with devastating consequences not only for the affected individuals, but for caregivers as well. So far, pharmacological treatment of dAD has been based on the "monoamine hypothesis". However, the reported moderate effects of approved antidepressants, as well as an increasing body of research evidence, suggest a more complex pathophysiologic mechanism. In the present paper, a systematic review of different treatments for dAD is presented that can inform the study of alternative neuropathological and neurobiological aspects of the disease aimed at the development of more effective treatment targets.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; antidepressants; dementia; depression; treatment.