Chapter 19. Targeting Oxidative Mechanisms in Alzheimer Disease

It is now understood that oxidative stress plays a key role in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer disease (AD). Focus of AD therapy research has therefore shifted to include the reduction of oxidative stress through antioxidant treatment. Although the trial of vitamin E supplementation in moderately severe AD is the most promising so far, the lack of a “curative” response may derive from the complexity of the redox system and the multiple factors contributing to the clinical manifestation of AD. In this review, the prevailing antioxidant approaches of AD are discussed. Most exciting in this regard are the results in patients treated with Dimebon, whose novel mechanism of action is to inhibit neuronal cell death by improving mitochondrial function.