Abstract

MECHANISTIC APPROACHES OF DIFFERENT MODELS AND TARGETS FOR TREATMENT OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

Rokaya Dan Bahadur and Awasthi Himani*

ABSTRACT

A vital component of the development of drugs targeted at treating complex disorders is a reliable animal model that can predict efficacy in clinical trials. Animal models of cognitive impairment are critically important for determining the neural bases of learning and memory. These cognitive functions are complex phenomenon requiring the coordinated interaction of multiple brain structures therefore cannot be well studied by using simple in vitro methods. In the field of learning and memory, animal models have been instrumental in shaping our understanding of how the normal and damaged brain processes information. Animal research has taught us that there are multiple memory systems that interact: competitively, cooperatively or in parallel-depending on the cognitive demands and psychological nature of the task. Animal models of cognitive impairment are used for a variety of purposes: as screening tests to discover and develop novel antidementic drug therapies; as simulations for investigating aspects of the neurobiology of neurodegenerative disorders like AD; and as experimental models within which the neuropharmacological mechanisms associated with antidementic drug treatments may be investigated.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, treatment target, Amyloid beta aggregation, immunization, senile plague.