Treatment for Alzheimer's disease?
Article Abstract:
Tacrine may slow the progression of mental impairment in patients with Alzheimer's disease, but it is not a cure for the disease. Alzheimer's disease is a form of dementia that is characterized by decreased activity of brain cells that use the substance acetylcholine as a neurotransmitter. A research study found that the cognitive function of patients treated with tacrine over a six-week period did not worsen as much as those who took a placebo, or inactive substance. Another drawback of tacrine is that it may cause liver damage. Other types of drugs need to be examined for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. These include those that could restore brain cell function or slow the process of brain cell degeneration. An ideal type of treatment would be a drug that could prevent the development of Alzheimer's disease entirely.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 1992
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A 74-year-old man with memory loss, language impairment, and personality changes
Article Abstract:
A 74-year-old man was admitted to a hospital because of progressive memory loss and personality changes. A CT san of his head showed atrophy but no other disorders. He was eventually discharged and follow-ups showed that his dementia was progressing. He eventually died of a cardiac arrest. His doctors suspected Pick's disease, which is one of the causes of dementia. They ruled out Alzheimer's disease because his memory remained relatively intact throughout the course of his disease and his personality changed early in the disease. In Alzheimer's disease, the reverse is usually true.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 2000
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Neurologic disorder in a 65-year-old man after treatment of colon cancer
Article Abstract:
A 65-year-old man was admitted to a hospital when he developed difficulty walking and difficulty performing intellectual tasks. He had recently been treated for colon cancer with fluorouracil and levamisole. A CT scan of his head showed abnormalities, but his doctors ruled out metastatic colon cancer to the brain as the cause of his symptoms. They suspected the two drugs he was given for the cancer may have caused his symptoms. A brain biopsy confirmed this, and he slowly recovered most of his intellectual function after the chemotherapy stopped.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 1999
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