What research is being done to try to prevent Alzheimer’s disease?
The research focus now is turning to prevention trials, and a number of studies are underway to test the effectiveness of various therapies in people without symptoms or who have only slight memory problems. Under scrutiny in these studies are further examination of estrogen and studies of various classes of anti-inflammatory drugs and antioxidants. The first large-scale Alzheimer’s disease prevention trial, sponsored by the NIH, is comparing the effects of vitamin E, an antioxidant, and one of the drugs currently approved for Alzheimer’s, donepezil (brand name Aricept), in preventing the development of the disease in people diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, a population at high risk. Ongoing trials are also examining the effectiveness of naproxen and celecoxib (anti-inflammatory drugs) in reducing Alzheimer’s risk in persons with a family history of dementia, the effect of estrogen replacement therapy in preventing Alzheimer’s in women with a family history of the dise
