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Tidsskrift For Den Norske Laegeforening... May 2021Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia globally. Its prevalence will increase considerably in the years to come, in pace with the increasing proportion...
Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia globally. Its prevalence will increase considerably in the years to come, in pace with the increasing proportion of older people. No disease-modifying treatment is currently available. Measures to mitigate risk in mid-life may potentially prevent or postpone up to 40 % of dementia cases at group level.
Topics: Aged; Alzheimer Disease; Humans
PubMed: 33950641
DOI: 10.4045/tidsskr.20.0919 -
Alzheimer's Research & Therapy Mar 2023The use of music interventions as a non-pharmacological therapy to improve cognitive and behavioral symptoms in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients has gained popularity... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The use of music interventions as a non-pharmacological therapy to improve cognitive and behavioral symptoms in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients has gained popularity in recent years, but the evidence for their effectiveness remains inconsistent.
OBJECTIVES
To summarize the evidence of the effect of music therapy (alone or in combination with pharmacological therapies) on cognitive functions in AD patients compared to those without the intervention.
METHODS
A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, Cochrane library, and HINARI for papers published from 1 January 2012 to 25 June 2022. All randomized controlled trials that compared music therapy with standard care or other non-musical intervention and evaluation of cognitive functions are included. Cognitive outcomes included: global cognition, memory, language, speed of information processing, verbal fluency, and attention. Quality assessment and narrative synthesis of the studies were performed.
RESULTS
A total of 8 studies out of 144 met the inclusion criteria (689 participants, mean age range 60.47-87.1). Of the total studies, 4 were conducted in Europe (2 in France, 2 in Spain), 3 in Asia (2 in China, 1 in Japan), and 1 in the USA. Quality assessment of the retrieved studies revealed that 6 out of 8 studies were of high quality. The results showed that compared to different control groups, there is an improvement in cognitive functions after music therapy application. A greater effect was shown when patients are involved in the music making when using active music intervention (AMI).
CONCLUSION
The results of this review highlight the potential benefits of music therapy as a complementary treatment option for individuals with AD and the importance of continued investigation in this field. More research is needed to fully understand the effects of music therapy, to determine the optimal intervention strategy, and to assess the long-term effects of music therapy on cognitive functions.
Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Humans; Middle Aged; Alzheimer Disease; Cognition; Music; Music Therapy; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
PubMed: 36973733
DOI: 10.1186/s13195-023-01214-9 -
Ideggyogyaszati Szemle Nov 2021In aging societies, the morbidity and mortality of dementia is increasing at a significant rate, thereby imposing burden on healthcare, economy and the society as well.... (Review)
Review
In aging societies, the morbidity and mortality of dementia is increasing at a significant rate, thereby imposing burden on healthcare, economy and the society as well. Patients' and caregivers' quality of life and life expectancy are greatly determined by the early diagnosis and the initiation of available symptomatic treatments. Cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine have been the cornerstones of Alzheimer's therapy for approximately two decades and over the years, more and more experience has been gained on their use in non-Alzheimer's dementias too. The aim of our work was to provide a comprehensive summary about the use of cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine for the treatment of Alzheimer's and non-Alzheimers's dementias.
Topics: Alzheimer Disease; Caregivers; Cholinesterase Inhibitors; Humans; Memantine; Quality of Life
PubMed: 34856086
DOI: 10.18071/isz.74.0379 -
Biochemical Pharmacology May 2023Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative diseases that affect millions of people worldwide, with both prevalence and incidence increasing... (Review)
Review
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative diseases that affect millions of people worldwide, with both prevalence and incidence increasing with age. It is characterized by cognitive decline associated, specifically, with degeneration of cholinergic neurons. The problem of this disease is even more fundamental as the available therapies remain fairly limited and mainly focused on symptoms' relief. Although the aetiology of the disease remains elusive, two main pathological hallmarks are described: i) presence of neurofibrillary tangles formed by unfolded protein aggregates (hyperphosphorylated Tau protein) and ii) presence of extracellular aggregates of amyloid-beta peptide. Given the complexity surrounding the pathogenesis of the disease, several potential targets have been highlighted and interrelated upon its progression, such as oxidative stress and the accumulation of metal ions. Thus, advances have been made on the development of innovative multitarget therapeutical compounds to delay the disease progression and restore cell function. This review focuses the ongoing research on new insights and emerging disease-modifying drugs for AD treatment. Furthermore, classical and novel potential biomarkers for early diagnosis of the disease, and their role in assisting on the improvement of targeted therapies will also be approached.
Topics: Humans; Alzheimer Disease; tau Proteins; Amyloid beta-Peptides; Oxidative Stress
PubMed: 36996971
DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2023.115522 -
Molecular Biology Reports Jul 2021Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative old age disease that is complex, multifactorial, unalterable, and progressive in nature. The currently approved therapy... (Review)
Review
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative old age disease that is complex, multifactorial, unalterable, and progressive in nature. The currently approved therapy includes cholinesterase inhibitors, NMDA-receptor antagonists and their combination therapy provides only temporary symptomatic relief. Sincere efforts have been made by the researchers globally to identify new targets, discover, and develop novel therapeutic agents for the treatment of AD. This brief review article is intended to cover the recent advances in drug development and emerging therapeutic agents for AD acting at different targets. The article is compiled using various scientific online databases and by referring to clinicaltrials.gov and ALZFORUM (alzforum.org) websites. The upcoming therapies act on one or more targets including amyloids (secretases, Aβ production, amyloid deposition, and immunotherapy), tau proteins (tau phosphorylation/aggregation and immunotherapy) and neuroinflammation in addition to other miscellaneous targets. Despite the tremendous improvement in our understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of AD, only aducanumab was approved by FDA for the treatment of AD in 18 years i.e., since 2003. Hence, it is concluded that novel therapeutic strategies are required to discover and develop therapeutic agents to fight against the century old AD.
Topics: Alzheimer Disease; Animals; Biomarkers; Clinical Trials as Topic; Disease Management; Disease Susceptibility; Drug Development; Humans; Molecular Targeted Therapy; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 34181171
DOI: 10.1007/s11033-021-06512-9 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jan 2023There is a paucity of empirical research on the use of non-pharmacological interventions to both treat and curb the spread of Alzheimer's disease (AD) across the globe.... (Review)
Review
There is a paucity of empirical research on the use of non-pharmacological interventions to both treat and curb the spread of Alzheimer's disease (AD) across the globe. This paper examines the biochemical and clinical outlook and the social implications of the condition in relation to psychological aspects that may indicate a direction for further interventions. There is a scarcity of research on the effectiveness of using various psychological aspects of AD, a disease characterized by a process of transition from health and independence to a dependent state with a progressive loss of memory and functional skills. The paper investigates the biochemical and psychological aspects of AD and their significance for improving quality of life for patients with this disease. Psychological interventions based on, among other factors, biochemical studies, are conducted to improve the emotional wellbeing of AD patients and may assist in slowing down the progression of the disease. To date, however, no effective methods of AD treatment have been established.
Topics: Humans; Alzheimer Disease; Quality of Life
PubMed: 36674580
DOI: 10.3390/ijms24021059 -
Molecular Neurobiology Dec 2020Understanding how gut flora influences gut-brain communications has been the subject of significant research over the past decade. The broadening of the term... (Review)
Review
Understanding how gut flora influences gut-brain communications has been the subject of significant research over the past decade. The broadening of the term "microbiota-gut-brain axis" from "gut-brain axis" underscores a bidirectional communication system between the gut and the brain. The microbiota-gut-brain axis involves metabolic, endocrine, neural, and immune pathways which are crucial for the maintenance of brain homeostasis. Alterations in the composition of gut microbiota are associated with multiple neuropsychiatric disorders. Although a causal relationship between gut dysbiosis and neural dysfunction remains elusive, emerging evidence indicates that gut dysbiosis may promote amyloid-beta aggregation, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and insulin resistance in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Illustration of the mechanisms underlying the regulation by gut microbiota may pave the way for developing novel therapeutic strategies for AD. In this narrative review, we provide an overview of gut microbiota and their dysregulation in the pathogenesis of AD. Novel insights into the modification of gut microbiota composition as a preventive or therapeutic approach for AD are highlighted.
Topics: Alzheimer Disease; Animals; Brain; Dysbiosis; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; Insulin Resistance; Oxidative Stress
PubMed: 32829453
DOI: 10.1007/s12035-020-02073-3 -
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease : JAD 2022Effective therapeutics for Alzheimer's disease are needed. However, previous clinical trials have pre-determined a single treatment modality, such as a drug candidate or... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Effective therapeutics for Alzheimer's disease are needed. However, previous clinical trials have pre-determined a single treatment modality, such as a drug candidate or therapeutic procedure, which may be unrelated to the primary drivers of the neurodegenerative process. Therefore, increasing data set size to include the potential contributors to cognitive decline for each patient, and addressing the identified potential contributors, may represent a more effective strategy.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether a precision medicine approach to Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment is effective enough in a proof-of-concept trial to warrant a larger, randomized, controlled clinical trial.
METHODS
Twenty-five patients with dementia or mild cognitive impairment, with Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores of 19 or higher, were evaluated for markers of inflammation, chronic infection, dysbiosis, insulin resistance, protein glycation, vascular disease, nocturnal hypoxemia, hormone insufficiency or dysregulation, nutrient deficiency, toxin or toxicant exposure, and other biochemical parameters associated with cognitive decline. Brain magnetic resonance imaging with volumetrics was performed at baseline and study conclusion. Patients were treated for nine months with a personalized, precision medicine protocol, and cognition was assessed at t = 0, 3, 6, and 9 months.
RESULTS
All outcome measures revealed improvement: statistically significant improvement in MoCA scores, CNS Vital Signs Neurocognitive Index, and Alzheimer's Questionnaire Change score were documented. No serious adverse events were recorded. MRI volumetrics also improved.
CONCLUSION
Based on the cognitive improvements observed in this study, a larger, randomized, controlled trial of the precision medicine therapeutic approach described herein is warranted.
Topics: Alzheimer Disease; Cognition; Cognitive Dysfunction; Humans; Pilot Projects; Precision Medicine
PubMed: 35811518
DOI: 10.3233/JAD-215707 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2022Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease worldwide, characterized by progressive neuron degeneration or loss due to excessive... (Review)
Review
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease worldwide, characterized by progressive neuron degeneration or loss due to excessive accumulation of β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides, formation of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), and hyperphosphorylated tau. The treatment of AD has been only partially successful as the majority of the pharmacotherapies on the market may alleviate some of the symptoms. In the occurrence of AD, increasing attention has been paid to neurodegeneration, while the resident glial cells, like microglia are also observed. Microglia, a kind of crucial glial cells associated with the innate immune response, functions as double-edge sword role in CNS. They exert a beneficial or detrimental influence on the adjacent neurons through secretion of both pro-inflammatory cytokines as well as neurotrophic factors. In addition, their endocytosis of debris and toxic protein like Aβ and tau ensures homeostasis of the neuronal microenvironment. In this review, we will systematically summarize recent research regarding the roles of microglia in AD pathology and latest microglia-associated therapeutic targets mainly including pro-inflammatory genes, anti-inflammatory genes and phagocytosis at length, some of which are contradictory and controversial and warrant to further be investigated.
Topics: Alzheimer Disease; Amyloid beta-Peptides; Humans; Microglia; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Neurons
PubMed: 35558075
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.856376 -
Translational Neurodegeneration Apr 2022Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex, heterogeneous, progressive disease and is the most common type of neurodegenerative dementia. The prevalence of AD is expected to... (Review)
Review
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex, heterogeneous, progressive disease and is the most common type of neurodegenerative dementia. The prevalence of AD is expected to increase as the population ages, placing an additional burden on national healthcare systems. There is a large need for new diagnostic tests that can detect AD at an early stage with high specificity at relatively low cost. The development of modern analytical diagnostic tools has made it possible to determine several biomarkers of AD with high specificity, including pathogenic proteins, markers of synaptic dysfunction, and markers of inflammation in the blood. There is a considerable potential in using microRNA (miRNA) as markers of AD, and diagnostic studies based on miRNA panels suggest that AD could potentially be determined with high accuracy for individual patients. Studies of the retina with improved methods of visualization of the fundus are also showing promising results for the potential diagnosis of the disease. This review focuses on the recent developments of blood, plasma, and ocular biomarkers for the diagnosis of AD.
Topics: Alzheimer Disease; Amyloid beta-Peptides; Biomarkers; Humans; MicroRNAs; Retina
PubMed: 35449079
DOI: 10.1186/s40035-022-00296-z