ABSTRACT
The dementia syndrome (progressive global cognitive impairment) can
be seen as a final common symptom pathway for several distinct disease
entities, of which the most common are Alzheimer’s disease (AD), vascu-
lar dementia (VaD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Early studies
of drug treatments for the cognitive symptoms of the dementias exam-
ined their efficacy in mixed cohorts. More recently, specific treatments
have been and are being evaluated for each of these common dementias,
with particular emphasis being placed on possible treatments for
AD. Although the early emphasis was on treatments that affected cogni-
tion, later trials have considered both cognition and other domains such
as activity of daily living skills. Both for the dementias as a whole and
for AD in particular, treatment approaches can be classified as preven-
tive, disease modifying and symptomatic.
