- Aerobic exercise
- Increased flow of oxygen-rich blood to the brain and improved overall health of the blood vessels - improves brain function
- Creative therapy
- Reduce agitation and increased brain stimulation
- Meditation and music
- Boost mood, stimulate positive interactions, facilitate cognitive function
- Evokes memory and emotion
- Brexpiprazole
- Effective in reducing agitation for AD
- Levetiracetam
- Low-dose was well tolerated in AD patients
- Enhanced spatial memory and executive functioning tasks
- Methylphenidate
- methylphenidate treatment led to a modest but noticeable reduction in apathy among patients with AD, as measured by the NPI apathy subscale
Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a brain disorder that impairs cognitive functions, is the fifth-leading cause of death among adults over 65 and the sixth-leading cause of death for all adults in the US. Although the exact causes of AD are unknown, it is currently characterized by two abnormalities in the brain: amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles which lead to neuronal degradation. This results in slower communication between cells and therefore slower mental processes: usually dementia and language impairment. Although it is so prevalent, AD is still incurable, but there are many novel treatments currently under research.
- rTMS
- Electromagnetic coil placed at the scalp of the patient’s head - sends magnetic pulses that stimulate neurons
- Slow down cognitive and functional decline
- tACS
- Delivers a gentle, sinusoidal electrical current to the brain via electrodes on scalp
- Improved episodic memory
- DBS
- Electrodes implanted in areas of the brain
- Hippocampus volume increased - 12 month
Novel Treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease