Alzheimer’s Disease review: targets for early intervention

Advances in health-related fields have brought higher life expectancy, but little progress has been made in terms of quality of life for patients with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). With an aging population, the projected socioeconomic burden of AD is severe and of great public health importance. In order to lessen the impact of the disease, effective therapeutics are needed, but the multifactorial nature of AD impedes scientific progress. Current treatments, while having some benefit in symptom management, do not modify disease progression and have limited efficacy in later stages of AD. \ud For most chronic conditions, earlier treatment results in a better chance of slowing or preventing disease progression. Recent clinical and laboratory findings are identifying likely upstream components of AD and proposing several approaches to therapy. The purpose of this essay is to summarize these findings, evaluate their potential for intervention, and highlight the overall barriers that persist in AD treatment