Treatment

There are many pieces to the dementia puzzle and the Alzheimer's Research Trust is helping to explore as many parts of it as possible. We are trying to develop treatments either to alleviate some of the symptoms or to slow down the process of the brain cells dying. Here are some examples:

• A protein called amyloid is known to accumulate in the brains of people with Alzheimer's and is toxic to nerves. Scientists are trying to find ways of controlling how much amyloid is made in the brain and the process which destroys it.
• Another protein called tau also accumulates in the brains of people with Alzheimer's and is also linked to people with fronto-temporal dementia. Whereas amyloid forms plaques outside the brain's nerve cells, tau forms tangles inside them. The enzymes that control the production of tangles, such as GSK3, CDK5 and MAP kinases, are important targets for possible future treatments.
• We are still trying to understand how amyloid and tau are linked since an understanding of this relationship could lead to future treatments, perhaps by breaking this link and halting the progression of the disease.
• Scientists are also investigating other processes involved in Alzheimer's, including inflammation and cell damage by free radicals.
• We're trying to refine and produce potential drugs that alter the processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP). The drugs would need to be tested first in cell and animal models and then in clinical studies so it is unlikely such treatments will be available for several years.
• We are looking for genes and other factors that could affect a person's chances of developing dementia, as this could create entirely new avenues of research into possible cures and treatments.
• Risk factors for dementia are also being investigated to see whether modifying them could slow the development of the disease or stop it starting.
• We are also trying to develop completely new approaches to tackling dementia, such as stem cell research.
• It is also important to improve the ways we monitor the progression of the disease so that the effects of drugs and treatments can be seen. The Alzheimer's Research Trust is making advances in brain imaging techniques, improving psychological tests and developing biomarkers to monitor protein changes in the blood.
• We are also keen to investigate vascular factors. Some blood-pressure lowering drugs seem to reduce the development of vascular dementia and possibly Alzheimer's. Much research needs to be done to test this theory and other hypotheses about risk factors, but the rewards are potentially great.

Dementia research is significantly underfunded but offers huge potential for progress. The Alzheimer's Research Trust urgently needs funds to make advances towards new treatments.