Kynurenines and other novel therapeutic strategies in the treatment of dementia

Dementia is a common neuropsychological disorder with an increasing incidence. The most prevalent type of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. The underlying pathophysiological features of the cognitive decline are neurodegenerative processes, a cerebrovascular dysfunction and immunological alterations....

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Zsófia Majláth, János Tajti, László Vécsei
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2013-11-01
Series:Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/1756285613494989
Description
Summary:Dementia is a common neuropsychological disorder with an increasing incidence. The most prevalent type of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. The underlying pathophysiological features of the cognitive decline are neurodegenerative processes, a cerebrovascular dysfunction and immunological alterations. The therapeutic approaches are still limited, although intensive research is being conducted with the aim of finding neuroprotective strategies. The widely accepted cholinesterase inhibitors and glutamate antagonists did not meet expectations of preventing disease progression, and research is therefore currently focusing on novel targets. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, secretase inhibitors and statins are promising drug candidates for the prevention and management of different forms of dementia. The kynurenine pathway has been associated with various neurodegenerative disorders and cerebrovascular diseases. This pathway is also closely related to neuroinflammatory processes and it has been implicated in the pathomechanisms of certain kinds of dementia. Targeting the kynurenine system may be of therapeutic value in the future.
ISSN:1756-2856
1756-2864