The Alzheimer Prevention Initiative [17] has planned a clinical trial in a large population of presenilin 1 E280A mutation-carriers in Colombia, whose natural history and transition from asymptomatic through early symptoms selleck chemical Ixazomib and cognitive deficits to overt dementia has been precisely mapped in a landmark 15 year follow-up study [19]. The international Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network group has enrolled and characterized people with different APP and presenilin mutations [20] and is planning an intervention clinical trial in at risk carriers who test positive for amyloid biomarkers. Another initiative more closely relevant to sporadic AD proposes to identify amyloid carriers among elderly subjects who are not cognitively impaired and study their outcomes, using cognitive and imaging measures, over a period of two years [16].
In summary, this has been an exciting year for all of us working to improve treatment for people with AD. Greater understanding of the underlying pathological mechanisms, gained from research using transgenic animals and new stem cell-based technologies, have revealed possible novel therapeutic strategies targeting the underlying pathologies, that is, both A?? and tau pathology. These developments are complemented by the move to identify pre-dementia AD and improve trial design. Together they provide hope for the future. Abbreviations A??: amyloid ?? protein; AD: Alzheimer ‘s disease; APP: amyloid ?? protein precursor; GSK: glycogen synthase kinase; HDAC: histone deacetylase; iPS: induced pluripotent stem; Competing interests DG serves on data and safety monitoring boards for clinical trials for Janssen and Elan Pharmaceuticals and for Balance Pharmaceuticals.
He is a consultant for Elan Pharmaceuticals, Phloronol, Inc., and United BioSource. TG has served on advisory boards related to preclinical studies for Janssen, Novarits, Bristol-Myers Squib and Elan Pharmaceuticals. He has received sponsored research grants from Lundbeck and Myriad Pharmaceuticals in the past. GW has served on advisory boards to a number of pharmaceutical companies, including Jannsen, Shire Pharmaceuticals, Lundbeck, Cambridge Neurodiagnostics and Roche. He is a consultant to TauRx. DG, TG and GW are Editors-in-Chief of Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy and receive an annual honorarium.
Life expectancy in people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is, overall, shorter than what is expected in age-matched, cognitively normal seniors and may be influenced by age, disease severity, general debility, extrapyramidal signs, gender, and race or ethnicity [1-4]. Antipsychotic drugs have also Dacomitinib been linked to increased risk of death in older people HTC with dementia [5-7]. Estimating survival following the recognition of AD is an important health matter for patients and their families who must plan for medical care at the end of life.