CONVENTIONAL PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT FOR PATIENTS WITH ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE

Conventional pharmacologic treatments used in patients with Alzheimer' s disease include agents intended to improve cognitive function, as we ll as those aimed at improving behavioral disability. Among the former are ergoloid mesylates, psychostimulants, chelating agents, vitamins, and neurotransmitter precursors. Among the latter are anxiolytics, an tidepressants, neuroleptics, and beta-blockers. Results in formal clin ical trials and clinical experience with these agents to date show mod est or promising effects on the part of some and absence of benefit fo r others. However, continued refinements of diagnostic techniques, cli nical trial methodology, and instruments to measure cognitive and nonc ognitive outcomes have contributed to the development of a strong scie ntific foundation for the analysis of clinical findings and for the ra tionale of future investigations. Increasing knowledge of the phenomen ology of Alzheimer's disease continues to prompt the development of hy potheses on potential treatment strategies. In combination, these cont inuing efforts provide clear hope of attaining favorable outcomes in t he treatment of the cognitive and noncognitive disabilities associated with Alzheimer's disease in the foreseeable future.