Dementia

Dementia is an umbrella term for a number of organic brain diseases that together affect approximately 940,000 people in the UK. Most diseases leading to dementia are characterized by processes that result in the abnormal build-up of proteins in the brain. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer's disease, but other important causes include vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and fronto-temporal dementia. The management of dementia largely focuses on helping patients and families to manage increasing care needs as the condition progresses, including the treatment of troublesome neuropsychiatric symptoms. Current pharmacological treatments are based on the neurochemical changes that are found in these diseases. Cholinesterase inhibitors and N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonists offer a modest effect in ameliorating cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer's disease. However, the treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia is still largely empirical and is hampered by either limited efficacy of medication or troublesome adverse effects. Key potential future developments in dementia include anti-amyloid treatments for Alzheimer's disease and blood biomarkers to aid diagnosis.