Research Progress and outlook of drugs for the treatment for Alzheimer’s disease

As the global population is aging at an increasingly rapid rate, AD has become an important disease affecting the health of the elderly in today’s world and has attracted the attention of many experts. AD is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive cognitive decline, manifested by deterioration of memory, learning and daily living skills. If the disease is not controlled, patients will develop dementia symptoms. Although AD cannot be completely cured at this time, a combination of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments are currently available to alleviate symptoms. Pharmacological treatment may include cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) and NMDA receptor antagonists. Non-pharmacological treatments include psychotherapy, cognitive training and life skills exercise. This paper now reviews the mechanisms, applications and side effects of the corresponding drugs that have been used to treat AD, and analyzes the emerging AD treatments, with a view to providing a reference for the research of new AD therapeutic drugs.