Review/Advances in Neurological Therapeutics (2015). Dementia

Abstract

Dementia affects over 35 million people in the world with a rapidly increasing prevalence. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia.

No fundamental treatment for AD has been established, and novel therapeutic strategies are pursued extensively. This progress has led to the development of numerous therapeutic strategies in the clinical testing. A long–term randomized controlled trial suggested the beneficial effects of multidomain lifestyle–based interventions to maintain cognitive functioning, Although humanized monoclonal antibodies that bind amyloid b failed to improve cognition in patients with AD, several other promising trials are currently ongoing. In patients with dementia with Lewy bodies, it has been reported that lack of interferon–β signaling causes α–synuclein pathology. In addition, new therapeutic strategies have been reported in prion disease and Huntington disease. This review overviews recent advances in basic and clinical research in dementia.