Clinical pharmacology of anti-Alzheimer drugs.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a progressive loss of cognitive and functional abilities, associated with various degrees of behavioural disturbances, with a devastating impact on public health and on the whole society. Slowing of cognitive impairment, duration of disease, self-sufficiency and behavioural disturbances represent the best outcomes of the pharmacologic therapy. Cholinesterase inhibitors (ChE-I) have been shown to be effective in the treatment of the cognitive, behavioural, and functional deficits of AD. In addition to ChE-I, a number of studies have been carried out to investigate the possible use of other compounds and pharmacologic strategies; more compounds, postsynaptic muscarinic and nicotinic receptor agonists, are under investigation. The standard suggested care for pharmacologic management of the cognitive and functional disabilities of AD at present consists of treatment with ChE-I. Practice recommendations and treatment guidelines are derived from clinical trials.