Current drug treatments in Alzheimer’s disease

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a long-lasting, degenerative neurological condition that causes deterioration of memory, cognitive and metal decline, it is the most prevalent and leading cause of dementia.  Alzheimer's disease currently has symptomatic therapies, but there are still ongoing studies looking for ways to treat the illness itself. Deposition of Aβ and tau, inflammation, oxidative stress, and neuronal fiber tangles are the main causative mechanisms leading to Alzheimer's disease, therefore the prevention on them can effectively alleviate symptoms. To date, existing treatments have only been symptomatic, attempting to balance the neurotransmitter disorders of the disease. This review systematically summarizes and discusses a range of drugs that are currently available on the market, including cholinesterase inhibitors and glutamate receptor antagonists, natural medicines with anti-antibody, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties, such as Chinese medicines "Di Dan Decoction", Ginkgo biloba, and Huperzine A, as well as promising therapeutic modalities that are currently undergoing clinical trials.