Pharmacotherapy in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease: an update.

This review summarises the pharmacological properties of the main classes of drugs in current use for the symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer's disease. These may be divided into two major groups: those enhancing cholinergic function which has been shown to be defective in the disease, and those which either directly or indirectly reduce free radical/inflammatory processes in the brain. To date, none of the drugs available has been shown to reverse the pathological changes associated with the disease. However, a number of drugs are in development which are designed to block the neurotoxic action of amyloid beta peptide and thereby reverse the underlying pathological processes. These include the gamma secretase inhibitors and vaccines against amyloid beta peptide. The limitations of these novel approaches are discussed.