Can an existing Alzheimer's drug stop Alzheimer's disease if taken before symptoms develop?

About 50 percent of people who reach the age of 85 will develop Alzheimer's disease.ByAlzheimer's Reading RoomMost Alzheimer's patientswill die about eight years after exhibiting the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.Severememory loss and a precipitous decline in cognitive function are the hallmarks of the disease.But the molecular processes that lead to the disease will have begun many years earlier.What is the Difference Between Alzheimer ’s and DementiaSubscribe to the Alzheimer's Reading RoomEmail:Alzheimer's drug may stop disease if used before symptoms develop, study suggestsCurrently, there are no known ways to prevent the disease or to stop its progression once it has begun. But research at the University of Virginia offer new understandings of how Alzheimer's disease develops at the molecular level,long before extensive neuronal damage occurs and symptoms show up.The researchers found that an FDA-approved drug, memantine, currently used only for alleviating the symptoms of moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease, might be used to prevent or slow the progression of the disease if used before symptoms appear.How to Test Your Memory for Alzheimer's and Dementia (5 Best Tests)Based on extensive experimentation, the authors offer a hypothesis as to why this might work."Based on what we've learned so far,it is my opinion that we will never be able to cure Alzheimer's disease by treating patients once they become symptomatic. The best hope for conquering this disease is...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - Category: Neurology Tags: alzheimers cure alzheimers drug alzheimers research brain care of dementia patients FDA health memantine memory loss preventing alzheimers science Source Type: blogs