Lines of therapeutics research in Alzheimer's disease
A. Shvaloff
Bok Engelsk 1996
| Utgitt | 1996
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|---|---|
| Omfang | Side 343- 352
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| Opplysninger | Therapeutic research is being stepped up to fight Alzheimer's disease(AD), although its heterogeneity, the insufficiency ofphysiopathological knowledge, and the lack of a reference treatmentimpede the development of a drug to combat it. However, progress hasopened up many avenues. Some recent approaches that have led totherapeutic research are identification of biochemical abnormalities,identification of dysfunction in several neurotransmitter systems(cholinergic, catecholaminergic, serotonergic, and peptidergicsystems), and the study of senile plaques and neurofibrillarydegeneration tangles.Although some types of therapy have been used for a long time (e.g.,metabolic products such as nootropes), recently developed drugstarget different systems: for example, neurotransmitter systems areimportant for symptomatic improvements in cognitive functions. Theprincipal improvements expected with some new anticholinesteraseswhose role is to increase the available amount of centralacetylcholine are in memory and attention. Second, retarding neuronaldegeneration by acting on amyloid plaques is another possible futuretherapy. Here, protease inhibitors appear to be interesting tools.Third, the endototoxin etiology of neurodegenerative illnessesremains uncertain. After the first attempts with N-methyl-D-aspartate(NMDA) antagonists that had inescapable side effects, hopes rose withsome new pharmacological tools such as the AMPA/kainate antagonists.Fourth, a possible stimulation of neuronal plasticity by neurotrophicfactors such as nerve growth factor (NGF) constitutes anotherprospected research area. Fifth, the inflammatory aspects ofdegenerative diseases attract the attention of many laboratories andpreliminary reports are hopeful. Finally, out of the establishedpharmacological tools, gene therapy, though still hypothetical, maybecome the expected treatment in the future.Pharmacotherapy used in the most common types of dementia has untilnow been largely palliative and dealt with symptoms. It isnonetheless not unreasonable to look forward to the development ofdrugs that will be able to combat the evolution of the dementiaitself, rather than its symptoms. A list of different productsdeveloped to treat AD is concluded by an evaluation of the expectedresults and, in particular, the orientations likely to be necessary.
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| Emner |
