Treating Alzheimer disease
Modern drug treatments for Alzheimer disease can temporarily slow down the loss of memory in some patients. Some of the neurones that die in Alzheimer disease normally make a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. Drugs that maintain the amount of acetylcholine in synapses can improve short-term memory and concentration. However, these drugs only treat the symptoms of Alzheimer disease and not the actual loss of brain cells. Researchers are trying to find ways to halt and even reverse this destruction.
