Conclusion
As of today, there are very few FDA approved treatment options available to those diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Medication is prescribed based on the severity of the patient’s case. Mild to moderate AD is usually medicated with Razadyne, Exelon, and Aricept. However, these drugs do not solve the root of the problem which is still unknown to doctors. They simply help reduce the symptoms of AD including, memory loss, confusion, and problems with thinking and reasoning. These medications help control behavioral symptoms and do not provide a cure to AD. There are also other unconventional approaches to alleviate some of the symptoms; these include, but are not limited to, herbal remedies, dietary supplements and "medical foods". The use of these treatments is to promote memory enhancers and to delay the symptoms of AD and having varying results based on the person. Because AD is the mystery that it is, it allows scientists to be innovative and conduct trials with various approaches.
Through my research, I became familiar with three of the approaches being tested to cure AD. The first one being the suppression of the Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) protein to cure AD. HO-1 is a 32 kDa stress protein that catalyzes heme to biliverdin, free iron and carbon other tissues in presence of disease and trauma. The HO-1 protein is significantly overexpressed in the temporal cortex and hippocampus of those with AD. In a trial conducted to test the viability of suppressing the HO-1 protein. “Attenuation of neuropathology and behavioural toxicity in the APPswe/PS1 mice by treatment with the HO-1 inhibitor, OB-24 would flag HO-1 as a potential therapeutic target in the management of AD and possibly other aging-related human neurodegenerative diseases” (Schipper 223). Because the trial was only on mice and not humans, the effects on humans is not known and further research needs to be done by scientists to test its viability and become FDA approved.
The next approach I researched was the use of low intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU). Previously, scientists have struggled to get past the blood-brain barrier. The blood-brain barrier is a barrier that removes foreign substances causing the injection of medication in the brain to be difficult. With the use of low intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU), the blood-brain barrier can be opened to allow for medication to access the targeted area. The use of LIFU was tested on animals and had promising results for humans. A clinical trial led by Ali Rezai, M.D., director of the West Virginia University (WVU) Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute proved that LIFU could be used on humans, but further testing regarding the side effects of LIFU need to be conducted.
The third method I researched was the use of hydromethylthionine to cure AD. Hydromethylthionine is a drug that is prescribed in a tablet form and has been previously recognized to have improved cognitive decline and brain atrophy. Hydromethylthionine blocks an overactive tau protein in the brain that is known to cause dementia. "In addition to the reduction in brain atrophy, we were surprised to see the large cognitive effects of treatment in the patient group with the higher blood levels of hydromethylthionine at the 8 mg daily dose," he added. "According to scores from the ADAS-cog scale, the effect was around 7.5 points, or three times that seen from current routine Alzheimer's treatments, and would be equivalent to an 85% reduction in cognitive decline over 65 weeks." said Professor George Perry, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. Similar to the two other methods, more research needs to be conducted for this to be a viable option for treatment.
These three options are only the brink of the iceberg for experiments being done to cure AD. In the past 20 years scientists have made impressive strides to be where we are now with numerous potential cures. Though there is still no cure, donations to organizations such as Alzheimer's Association and Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation will allow scientists to find a cure and improve the lives of those affected by AD.