MEDICATIONS
The Question: Are there medications available to prevent or reverse normal cognitive decline and/or pathological dementia like Alzheimer's disease?
The Verdict: There are no "memory drugs" that are proven to allay normal age-related cognitive changes, nor is there a medication approved to prevent cognitive decline and dementia. Existing medications targeted at serious cognitive issues, such as Alzheimer's, are designed to minimize symptoms rather than prevent or cure the disease. Research is proceeding rapidly on this front, but it will likely take time to find a "magic bullet" that can prevent the devastating effects of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.
The Evidence: Scientists are working to develop and test dozens of medications for Alzheimer's. Some of these are "vaccines," drugs that researchers hope can be administered in the early stages of Alzheimer's to prevent or reverse the brain changes that they believe cause the disease. Testing of one promising drug was suspended a few years ago due to a high incidence of serious side effects. Testing of other drugs continues, though -- and some show promising results in animal models.
Currently prescribed Alzheimer's drugs do not reverse the disease, however. The most commonly prescribed medications belong to a class of drugs called cholinesterase inhibitors that are designed to treat early-to-midstage Alzheimer's patients. The purpose of these medications is to increase the level of a special brain chemical called acetylcholine, which aids in memory and other cognitive skills. Drugs designed to treat moderate to severe stages of AD are designed to control the production of glutamate, a brain chemical that plays an integral role in information storage as well as learning and memory.
BRAIN PROSTHESIS
The Question: Will there ever be a "brain transplant" or something similar?
The Verdict: Currently, brain implants are somewhere between science fiction and reality. At some future point, brain prostheses might be able to replace damaged parts of the brain or help to regulate brain function.
The Evidence: Researchers at University of Southern California are working on a computer chip that could replace damaged brain cells destroyed by diseases like Alzheimer's. This chip is currently replacing part of a rat's hippocampus, a region of the brain that is important in memory function, and the scientists hope that one day they will be able to implant a similar chip in humans who have brain damage.
CONCLUSION
Ultimately, as with physical fitness, achieving brain fitness will likely require that we combine a variety of strategies: physical exercise, brain exercise, a brain-healthy diet, and -- when it comes to it -- medical interventions. The good news is that science is making advances on all these fronts. Over the next few decades, we might just figure out how to keep our brains healthy for as long as our bodies can keep up.
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