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Six-million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s Disease. Sadly, that number is expected to grow to 14 million over the next 40 years. Fortunately, amazing research is ongoing to find treatment options and tools to benefit patients. Scientists have made tremendous progress, but a cure remains elusive.
Treatment Options
The best way to combat Alzheimer’s is to know your treatment options. Scientists had to learn the mechanics of Alzheimer’s in order to develop effective treatments. In the brain, neurons communicate and connect at synapses. Further, neurotransmitters carry information from one cell to another. Alzheimer’s blocks the process and eventually destroys neurons and synapses.
The FDA approved two types of medication to treat Alzheimer’s. The first type of medicine is cholinesterase inhibitors. This medication is given to patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s. They help control behavioral symptoms while reducing others. The medications are Aricept, Razadyne, and Exelon. Research shows that cholinesterase helps preserve a brain chemical that’s important for memory and thinking. The medicines don’t work exactly the same, one of them may help a patient more than another.
Patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer’s may be prescribed Namenda. Namenda helps to reduce symptoms for several months. Therefore, patients can function longer before they’re debilitated. Namenda works by regulating the brain chemical glutamate. Brain cells die if the body has too much glutamate. Patients are encouraged to make several lifestyle changes. For instance, exercising, eating well and learning new skills can delay symptoms.
Keep the Patient Safe
An important treatment involves changing a patient’s living space. Familiarity helps people remember what they should be doing. Therefore, establish routines and keep items in the same place. Excess furniture should be removed so the person can move around better. The patient should also have a cell phone that tracks their location.
Early Detection
There are several advances in the early detection of Alzheimer’s. Doctors say this is crucial because medications work better in the early stages of the disease. The body’s navigation system, the entorhinal cortex, is located in the brain. The disease attacks this part of the brain first. That’s why one of the first symptoms is getting lost. Researchers asked a group of people to perform a virtual reality exercise. They had to walk through a simulated environment without getting lost. People with biomarkers for the disease did worse on the test. Scientists also want to develop a virtual reality screening tool.
Several blood tests are being studied for use as an early detection tool. Tests are being developed to spot disease markers ten years before the first symptoms. The newest blood test looks for a brain chemical called IRS-1. Research shows that Alzheimer’s patients are deficient in IRS-1.
Using Existing Drugs
Researchers are also looking at existing drugs to help Alzheimer’s patients. Scientists are touting a drug that’s previously been used to fight HIV. Alzheimer’s patients have a genetic blueprint that’s similar to HIV patients. The idea is that stopping the movement of the genes may prevent Alzheimer’s.
Other researchers found the common diabetes drug metformin may control the brain chemicals associated with Alzheimer’s. Doctors are hopeful this can benefit Alzheimer’s patients with diabetes. They’re studying the impact of the drug on non-diabetic patients. Just this year, Case Western researchers found a previously unidentified gene with a linked protein. They believe the gene and protein can be blocked to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s. Scientists named the gene aggregation.
The future looks bright for people who may develop Alzheimer’s. Hopefully, some of the early detection tools will be available to the public. Early detection and treatment are vital for battling the disease.
