Cognitive rehabilitation of patients with neurodegenerative diseases

Abstract

Neurodegenerative diseases are the most common cause of cognitive disorders in the population, but their diagnosis and treatment face a number of difficulties, both purely clinical and organizational. Moreover, neurodegenerative diseases often serve as a background for the development of acute focal brain damage (for example, stroke), limiting the possibility of rehabilitation after them. In addition, degenerative changes in the brain associated with aging processes and early stages of neurodegenerative diseases make an important contribution to the formation of the «fragility of old age», which is the most important task of elderly medicine. Thus, acute focal lesions of the brain and neurodegenerative diseases require complex rehabilitation treatment aimed not only at motor, but also at cognitive functions. Drugs that mimic molecular signals initiating the processes of spontaneous recovery of neurons, glial cells and their connections in the brain can be used to expand the therapeutic window for rehabilitation. One of these drugs may be Cerebrolysin, which improves the results of restorative treatment of stroke and Alzheimer's disease.