The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), leads efforts in Alzheimer’s and related dementias research. Over the past several decades, researchers have made advances to better understand Alzheimer’s and related dementias, and discover different approaches that may prevent and treat them. Highlights of these efforts include:
- Early detection and diagnosis. Researchers have made progress in developing, testing, and validating biomarkers that detect signs of the disease process. For example, blood-based tests can now be used to screen volunteers for research studies. These types of tests may be used in the future to screen for dementia before symptoms appear.
- Lifestyle interventions. Scientists are investigating interventions related to exercise, healthy eating, cognitive training, preventive health care, and management of chronic conditions that may be able to prevent or delay disease symptoms. NIA currently supports more than 100 trials testing behavioral and lifestyle interventions.
- Drug discovery. NIH is supporting research on drugs to prevent or treat Alzheimer’s and related dementias. Of the many compounds in NIH-supported drug development programs in this area, 10 drug candidates have advanced through the pipeline, from discovery in the lab all the way through preclinical development, to reach the stage of human testing.
Visit the Alzheimers.gov website to learn more about advances in Alzheimer’s and related dementias research.
You may also be interested in:
- Learning more about advances in aging and Alzheimer’s research.
- Joining an Alzheimer’s and related dementias clinical trial or study.
