ABSTRACT
Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, is a progressive neurodegenerative illness characterized by a spectrum of clinical features and neuropathologic findings. This chapter presents a broad historical framework of the evolution of both dementia and AD. The examination of the historical milestones of discovery which have culminated in the current definitions provides an important reminder that, what is new is sometimes old and what is old often renews. The past decade has seen the first approved treatments for the symptoms of AD. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) became available for public use between 1993 and 2002. Memantine, an uncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist gained approval for AD from 2002 to 2006. This progress in symptomatic therapies heralded the first light of therapeutic hope, with disease modifying therapy still elusive. Currently, four AChEIs (tacrine, donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine) are approved in most countries worldwide.
