Research in Alzheimer's Disease

Medically Reviewed by Christopher Melinosky, MD on February 08, 2023
1 min read

Alzheimer's disease research is currently being tackled from many sides. Drug companies, the U.S. government, and the Alzheimer's Association are funding research to learn more about the disease and to find treatments that will reduce symptoms and prevent or cure the disease.

One of the most exciting areas of research involves looking at factors, including aging, family history and genetic causes, past severe head injury, and low education, that increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. These factors can lead to theories about how they produce the abnormalities, including amyloid beta plaques, seen in the brains of people with Alzheimer's.

The FDA has approved the drugs aducanumab-avwa (Aduhelm) and lecanemab-irmb (Leqembi) as therapies that target the fundamental pathophysiology of the disease by reducing amyloid beta plaques.

In addition, looking at factors that reduce the risk of Alzheimer's, like the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), other genetic factors, antioxidant therapies, and high education or occupational demand, could aid our understanding of the disease.