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  • Review Article
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Cognitive intervention in Alzheimer disease

Nature Reviews Neurology volume 6, pages 508–517 (2010)Cite this article

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Abstract

Alzheimer disease (AD) is one of the most prevalent chronic medical conditions affecting the elderly population. The effectiveness of approved antidementia drugs, however, is limited—licensed AD medications provide only moderate relief of clinical symptoms. Cognitive intervention is a noninvasive therapy that could aid prevention and treatment of AD. Data suggest that specifically designed cognitive interventions could impart therapeutic benefits to patients with AD that are associated with substantial biological changes within the brain. Moreover, evidence indicates that a combination of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions could provide greater relief of clinical symptoms than either intervention given alone. Functional and structural MRI studies have increased our understanding of the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of aging and neurodegeneration, but the use of neuroimaging to investigate the effect of cognitive intervention on the brain remains largely unexplored. This Review provides an overview of the use of cognitive intervention in the healthy elderly population and patients with AD, and summarizes emerging findings that provide evidence for the effectiveness of this approach. Finally, we present recommendations for future research on the use of cognitive interventions in AD and discuss potential effects of this therapy on disease modification.

Key Points

  • No disease-modifying drugs are available for the treatment of Alzheimer disease (AD) and the effectiveness of approved antidementia drugs is still not satisfactory

  • Non-pharmacological interventions could aid the prevention and treatment of AD, and combining pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions might substantially alleviate the clinical symptoms associated with the disease

  • Neuroimaging studies could further our understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the effects of cognitive intervention on the brain

  • Health-care professionals must base recommendations concerning the use of cognitive intervention in mild cognitive impairment and AD on robust experimental evidence

  • No standardized intervention programs are currently available for the treatment of the diverse cognitive and functional impairments associated with the different stages of AD

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Acknowledgements

Charles P. Vega, University of California, Irvine, CA, is the author of and is solely responsible for the content of the learning objectives, questions and answers of the MedscapeCME-accredited continuing medical education activity associated with this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Dementia Research Section and Memory Clinic, Alzheimer Memorial Center and Research Section, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Nussbaumstrasse 7, D-80366, Munich, Germany

    Verena Buschert

  2. Discipline of Psychiatry, School of Medicine & Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Cognitive Systems Group, Trinity College Dublin, Lloyd Building, 2, Dublin, Ireland

    Arun L. W. Bokde

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine & Psychotherapy, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Heinrich-Hoffmann-Straße 10, 60528, Frankfurt, Germany

    Harald Hampel

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V. Buschert, A. L. W. Bokde and H. Hampel all researched the data for the article, made substantial contributions to discussions of the content, and contributed equally to writing the article and to reviewing and/or editing of the manuscript before submission.

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Correspondence to Verena Buschert.

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Buschert, V., Bokde, A. & Hampel, H. Cognitive intervention in Alzheimer disease. Nat Rev Neurol 6, 508–517 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2010.113

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