Cure Research for Alzheimer's Disease
Medications currently used in research into the prevention of Alzheimer's Disease:
Note:You must always seek professional medical advice about any treatment
or change in treatment plans.
Some of the different medications being used in the research into prevention of Alzheimer's Disease include:
- Estrogen
- Alora
- C.E.S
- Climacteron
- Climara
- Climestrone
- Congest
- Delestrogen
- Depo-Estradiol
- DV
- Esclim
- Estinyl
- Estrace
- Estraderm
- Estraguard
- Estratab
- Extrovis
- Feminone
- Femogen
- Femogex
- Gynetone
- Gynodiol
- Gynogen LA
- Menest
- Menotab
- Oesclim
- Oestrilin
- Ogen
- PMB
- PMS-Estradiol
- Premarin
- Premphase
- Prempro
- Progynon Pellet
- TACE
- Valergen-10
- Vivelle
- Vivelle-Dot
- White Premarin
Curable Types of Alzheimer's Disease
Possibly curable or rare types of Alzheimer's Disease include:
Rare Types of Alzheimer's Disease:
Some rare types of Alzheimer's Disease include:
Treatments for Alzheimer's Disease
Treatments to consider for Alzheimer's Disease may include:
- Mental stimulation
- Tacrine (THA, Cognex)
- Aricept (donepezil) - reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors
- Exelon (rivastigmine) - reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors
- Supportive care
- more treatments...»
Cure Research discussion for Alzheimer's Disease:
Genes and Disease by the National Center for Biotechnology (Excerpt)
Currently, scientists are studying the interrelationship between the various gene loci (particularly the mutation on chromosome 21) and how environmental factors could effect a person's susceptibility to AD. Recently, use of a mouse model of the disease identified an enzyme that may be responsible for the increase in amyloid production characteristic of AD. If a way to regulate this enzyme could be found, then AD may be slowed or halted in some people.
(Source: Genes and Disease by the National Center for Biotechnology)
NINDS Alzheimer's Disease Information Page: NINDS (Excerpt)
The NINDS conducts and supports research on neurodegenerative
and dementing disorders, including AD. For example, although the cause of
AD is still unknown, new research has shown that a vaccine, aimed at
preventing or reversing the formation of AD-associated pathologic lesions,
might be a useful therapy. Recent results using a transgenic mouse model
suggest that immunological interventions may retard and even reverse the
development of some of the pathologic changes associated with AD. Early
clinical trials to test the vaccine are still in progress but offer hope
for a future therapy. The National Institute on Aging and the National
Institute of Mental Health also support research related to AD.
(Source: excerpt from NINDS Alzheimer's Disease Information Page: NINDS)
NIA's Progress Report on Alzheimer's Disease, 1998: NIA (Excerpt)
Pursuing another avenue, researchers at NIA are looking at Down's syndrome
because it shares some traits with AD. Down's syndrome is caused by a birth
defect in which the person has three, rather than the normal two, copies of
chromosome 21. Down's syndrome is associated with mental retardation and the
development of AD pathology. Because the gene for APP has been mapped to
chromosome 21, some researchers believe that Down's syndrome is related to the
"overexpression" of APP. (Source: excerpt from NIA's Progress Report on Alzheimer's Disease, 1998: NIA)
NIA's Progress Report on Alzheimer's Disease, 1998: NIA (Excerpt)
According to one new theory about the causes for sporadic AD, as neurons age,
they may begin to make errors in translating the information contained in the
gene's sequence of bases into the correct protein for beta-amyloid, causing a
buildup of abnormal proteins in the neuron (van Leeuwen et al., 1998). (Source: excerpt from NIA's Progress Report on Alzheimer's Disease, 1998: NIA)
NIA's Progress Report on Alzheimer's Disease, 1998: NIA (Excerpt)
The researchers found that nuns who had had the infarctions in certain brain
regions had more clinical symptoms of dementia than could be explained by the
number of plaques and tangles in the cerebral cortex. These findings suggest
that at least some brain infarcts, which do not themselves cause dementia, may
play an important role in increasing the severity of the clinical signs of AD.
In addition, other signs of disease related to the brain's blood vessels or
blood supply, such as atherosclerosis, may be involved in the development of AD.
Further research is needed to understand whether preventing these types of blood
vessel diseases in the brain can help reduce the clinical signs of AD. (Source: excerpt from NIA's Progress Report on Alzheimer's Disease, 1998: NIA)
NIA's Progress Report on Alzheimer's Disease, 1998: NIA (Excerpt)
However, scientists are now studying a new generation of cholinesterase
inhibitors, which might have greater usefulness and fewer side effects. In
studies on animals, scientists at NIA (Patel et al., 1998) have preliminary
evidence suggesting that one such drug, called phenserine, may be useful in
treating AD patients. In animal models of cognitive decline, phenserine was
significantly more effective in enhancing performance and learning in a maze
test than drugs currently marketed to treat AD. Phenserine is undergoing
toxicology testing (studies to find safe doses and identify any potentially
problematic side effects). And NIA scientists recently found that a drug called
arecoline seems to improve cognitive function and the process whereby chemical
messages are sent across synapses in animals. Arecoline artificially stimulates
acetylcholine receptors. Researchers now are studying the effects of arecoline
in people.
Another drug that inhibits acetylcholinesterase, called physostigmine, is
helping researchers to understand how these drugs can improve brain functions
such as working memory, the form of memory that enables people to hold
information such as telephone numbers for a short period of time. NIA
researchers (Furey et al., 1997) used PET scans to study the beneficial effect
of physostigmine on working memory in humans. Because physostigmine has a
shorter duration of action than the drugs that are already approved for AD
treatment, researchers are developing a longer-acting form. (Source: excerpt from NIA's Progress Report on Alzheimer's Disease, 1998: NIA)
NIA's Progress Report on Alzheimer's Disease, 1998: NIA (Excerpt)
Oxidative changes are seen in the brains of AD patients. Studies of compounds
that fight oxidation are part of the effort to understand processes that damage
cells and find ways to treat and possibly prevent AD. The NIA-supported ADCS
trial of selegiline (l-deprenyl or Eldepryl) and alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) is
one such study. Both selegiline and vitamin E act as anti-oxidants. Selegiline,
which has been used to treat patients with Parkinson's disease, works by
inhibiting an enzyme in the brain that impairs certain neurotransmitter systems.
(Source: excerpt from NIA's Progress Report on Alzheimer's Disease, 1998: NIA)
NIA's Progress Report on Alzheimer's Disease, 1998: NIA (Excerpt)
There is growing interest in the use of ginkgo biloba extract for the
treatment of AD. Ginkgo biloba extract is a traditional Chinese medicine made
from the leaves of the ginkgo tree. It apparently has anti-oxidant,
anti-inflammatory, and anti-coagulant properties. In the first American trial of
ginkgo against AD, the authors (Le Bars et al., 1997) found a "fairly modest"
positive effect. However, there have been several reports linking ginkgo to
hemorrhages, and other possible side effects are as yet unknown. NIA is funding
some investigations into the use of ginkgo in treating AD. (Source: excerpt from NIA's Progress Report on Alzheimer's Disease, 1998: NIA)
NIA's Progress Report on Alzheimer's Disease, 1998: NIA (Excerpt)
Some pharmacological agents already are being tested in human patients.
NINDS's Experimental Therapeutics Branch is participating in a multicenter trial
of HWA285 (propentofylline). HWA285 is believed to have anti-inflammatory and
neuroprotective properties, and it is hoped that it will slow the rate of
intellectual decline in patients with dementia. The results of this trial
currently are being analyzed. The Branch also is testing Ampalex (CX516,
AMPAKINE), a new drug that may improve thinking and memory, in patients with
mildly to moderately advanced AD. Ampalex has been shown in preclinical trials
to be highly promising in improving cognitive function, and has been relatively
free of serious side effects. AMPAKINEs enhance the functioning of a receptor,
called the AMPA receptor, which plays a key role in memory formation and
communication within and between different regions of the brain. (Source: excerpt from NIA's Progress Report on Alzheimer's Disease, 1998: NIA)
NIA's Progress Report on Alzheimer's Disease, 1998: NIA (Excerpt)
NIMH-supported scientists at the University of Pennsylvania (Streim et al.,
1997) recently conducted a double-blind study of regular versus low-dose
nortriptyline, an anti-depressant with anti-cholinergic activity. The response
to nortriptyline in cognitively intact patients was found to increase with blood
levels of the drug within the therapeutic range established in younger and
healthier patients. However, patients with AD were less likely to respond and
showed no significant relationship between plasma levels and clinical response.
These findings suggest that the neuropharmacological processes underlying
depression and the responses to anti-depressant medications in cognitively
intact older patients are similar to those that are operative in younger and
healthier individuals. However, in patients with AD they are quite different.
Meeting the mental health needs of patients with AD requires specific knowledge
that must be derived from research conducted on this special population. (Source: excerpt from NIA's Progress Report on Alzheimer's Disease, 1998: NIA)
Medical research for Alzheimer's Disease: medical news summaries:
The following medical news items
are relevant to medical research for Alzheimer's Disease:
Clinical Trials for Alzheimer's Disease
Some of the clinical trials for Alzheimer's Disease include:
Evidence Based Medicine Research for Alzheimer's Disease
Medical research papers related to Alzheimer's Disease include:
- Rivastigmine for Alzheimer's disease
- Antipsychotics increase mortality in patients with Alzheimer?s disease, Further evidence to support individualised antipsychotic drug treatment for schizophrenia, Antiepileptic product information to be updated, All non-analgesics similarly effective for
- Safety and efficacy of galantamine (Reminyl) in severe Alzheimer`s disease (the SERAD study): a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial
- Physostigmine for dementia due to Alzheimer's disease
- Can counseling and support reduce burden and depressive symptoms in caregivers of people with Alzheimer`s disease during the transition to institutionalization?
- Cost-effectiveness analysis of donepezil for mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease in Taiwan
- Cognitive function over time in the Alzheimer`s Disease Anti-inflammatory Prevention Trial (ADAPT): results of a randomized, controlled trial of naproxen and celecoxib
- Efficacy and safety of tarenflurbil in mild to moderate Alzheimer`s disease: a randomised phase II trial
- Effect of dimebon on cognition, activities of daily living, behaviour, and global function in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
- Erratum: Memantine (Ebixa) for dementia in moderately severe Alzheimer?s disease
- Aspirin in Alzheimer`s disease (AD2000): a randomised open-label trial.
- Memantine (Ebixa) for moderately severe Alzheimer?s disease
- Metrifonate for Alzheimer's disease
- A Markov model of the cost effectiveness of olanzapine treatment for agitation and psychosis in Alzheimer's disease
- Metal protein attenuating compounds for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease
- Person-centred care of people with severe Alzheimer`s disease: current status and ways forward
- Cost-effectiveness analysis of donepezil for mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease in Taiwan
- Guideline for Alzheimer's disease management.
- Long-term effects of Abeta42 immunisation in Alzheimer's disease: follow-up of a randomised, placebo-controlled phase I trial.
- Huperzine A for Alzheimer's disease
- Rivastigmine three times daily improves cognition and response in Alzheimer?s disease
- Exercise program for nursing home residents with Alzheimer's disease: a 1-year randomized, controlled trial
- Monitoring Therapy for Patients with Alzheimer's Disease
- Treatment strategies for the behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer`s disease: focus on early pharmacologic intervention.
- Tarenflurbil (Flurizan, R-Flurbiprofen) Alzheimer?s disease ? mild
- An exercise programme led to a slower decline in activities of daily living in nursing home patients with Alzheimer?s disease
- Cholinesterase inhibitors in Alzheimer's disease
- Practice guideline for the treatment of patients with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.
- Frailty is associated with incident Alzheimer`s disease and cognitive decline in the elderly
- (1) Donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine (review) and memantine for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (2) 2007 addendum.
Click here to find more evidence-based articles on the TRIP Database
