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Review: Therapy for Alzheimer's disease: how effective are current treatments?Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada, krista.lanctot{at}sunnybrook.ca
Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada 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.
Key Words: Alzheimer's disease cholinesterase inhibitors meta-analysis donepezil galantamine rivastigmine memantine tacrine beta amyloid tau protein
Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders, Vol. 2, No. 3,
163-180 (2009) |
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