New Developments in Alzheimer’s And Dementia Treatment

Alzheimer’s and dementia treatment is currently focused on dealing with issues with reasoning and thinking, as well as alleviating the symptoms of memory loss. These treatments are proven to boost the performance of the chemicals in the brain that are responsible for carrying information from one brain cell to the next. However, these modes of treatment are unable to completely prevent the underlying death and decline of brain cells. Alzheimer’s disease will continue to progress as more brain cells die. At the moment, experts are still looking for better ways to significantly delay or stop the progression of the disease and the symptoms of dementia.

The emergence of new developments in Alzheimer’s and dementia treatment may be slow, but there are promising leads. The collective efforts of experts have led to new developments in Alzheimer’s and dementia treatment. The increased awareness and understanding of how the disease disrupts brain function has given rise to potential new treatments that can short-circuit the basic processes of the disease. Future treatments may combine the use of certain types of medications (similar to the treatment of HIV/AIDs and many cancers). Here is an overview of some of the latest developments:

• Addressing the microscopic clumps of plaques (protein beta-amyloid) – These plaques are one of the indicators of Alzheimer’s disease. Monoclonal antibodies may help prevent the beta-amyloid from clumping and turning into plaques, so the body can clear it from the brain. The antibodies are delivered as drugs that mimic the natural antibodies we have. Recent findings found that the treatment may be beneficial for those who have mild Alzheimer’s, and that it is more effective when administered earlier.

• Preventing the destruction of the protein ‘fyn’ – Researchers found that beta-amyloid can interact with fyn. When combined, fyn becomes overactivated, resulting in the destruction of nerve cell connections in the brain. Saracatinib, a drug that was originally developed for cancer treatment, is already being tested for efficacy in treating Alzheimer’s disease.

There have also been studies done on beta-amyloid blockers. Certain types of therapy may minimize the beta-amyloid production in the brain.