New drug treatments

New drug treatments for neurodegenerative disorders will aim to prevent the loss of nerve cells in the brain or spinal cord, or to compensate for neurotransmitter loss. For example, scientists are working to develop drugs to treat Alzheimer disease that stop the build-up of the proteins tau and beta-amyloid, or that increase the concentration of acetylcholine in synapses.

Scientists are developing drugs that stop the build up of tangles in the brains of Alzheimer patients. Simon Lovestone, Institute of Psychiatry, London