Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015 Oct;142(4):369-82.
doi: 10.4103/0971-5916.169193.

Alzheimer's disease: Unique markers for diagnosis & new treatment modalities

Neelum T Aggarwal  1 , Raj C Shah, David A Bennett
Affiliations
Review

Alzheimer's disease: Unique markers for diagnosis & new treatment modalities

Neelum T Aggarwal et al. Indian J Med Res. 2015 Oct.

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive and irreversible neurodegenerative disease. In humans, AD becomes symptomatic only after brain changes occur over years or decades. Three contiguous phases of AD have been proposed: (i) the AD pathophysiologic process, (ii) mild cognitive impairment due to AD, and (iii) AD dementia. Intensive research continues around the world on unique diagnostic markers and interventions associated with each phase of AD. In this review, we summarize the available evidence and new therapeutic approaches that target both amyloid and tau pathology in AD and discuss the biomarkers and pharmaceutical interventions available and in development for each AD phase.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure
Figure
Cognitive trajectories over a lifetime and AD phases. National Institute on Aging's document titled “Alzheimer's Disease: Unraveling the Mystery”. Available from: https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/alzheimers_disease-unraveling-mystery/preface, accessed on August 20, 2015. [Reproduced with permission from: www.nih.gov<http://www.nia.nih.gov/>].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Qui C, De Ronchi D, Fratiglioni L. The epidemiology of the dementias: an update. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2007;20:380–5. - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization and Alzheimer's Disease International. Dementia: a public health priority. [accessed on August 20, 2015]. Available from: http://www.who.int/mental_health/publications/dementia_report_2012/en .
    1. Llibre Rodriguez JJ, Ferri CP, Acosta D, Guerra M, Huang Y, Jacobs KS, et al. Prevalence of dementia in Latin America, India, and China: a population-based cross-sectional survey. Lancet. 2008;372:464–74. - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Alzheimer's Report 2010. [accessed on August 20, 2015]. Available from: http://www.alz.org/documents/national/Worldalzheimerreport2010.pdf .
    1. Sathyanarayana Rao TS, Shaji KS. Demographic aging: implications for mental health. Indian J Psychiatry. 2007;49:78–80. - PMC - PubMed