Drug treatment of cognitive impairment and emotional disturbances in the elderly

Abstract

Disorders with cognitive impairment in the elderly are age-associated memory impairment, pseudodementias, secondary dementias, vascular dementias, and primary dementias. Pharmacological treatment strategies concern the use of vasodilators, nootropics, acetylcholinergie drugs, monoaminergic drugs, neuropeptides and neuropeptide-like drugs, vitamin B12 substitution, ganglioside GM1, phosphatidylserine, and acetyl-I-carnitine. On the whole, drugs with vasodilator effects were unsuccessful in the past. However, new drugs have been introduced which also enhance the metabolism in the neurons. These drugs, the nootropics, often combine a vasodilator effect with the activation of brain metabolism and the protection of the brain from toxic effects. However, effects of nootropics have mainly been demonstrated in animal experiments. Acetylcholinergic drugs have attracted great interest in dementia treatment, but altogether the trials with these drugs have shown disappointing results. Studies of drugs affecting monoa...