Recent Developments

• In 2008, the Alzheimer's Association reported multiple new findings on Alzheimer's disease. These include advances in imaging technology to more accurately detect and predict Alzheimer's disease and increased knowledge on the role of heredity and unhealthy lifestyle in the development of the disease.
  
  

New Drugs

• Several new drugs showed promise in trials in 2008. According to the Alzheimer's Association, these include Dimebon, AL-108, Rember, LY2062430 and PBT2. However, other drug trials, including a vaccine, did not demonstrate positive potential in the management of Alzheimer's.
  
  

Ongoing Studies

• The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) reports that it is supporting research into the causes of Alzheimer's disease as well as on associated risk factors and potential new treatments.
  
  

Potential

• The National Institute on Aging website lists information about studies under way that need participants from groups such as sufferers of Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment, people with a history of Alzheimer's and people with no disease or family history.
  
  

Time Frame

• Current research, such as that on new medications, will take a number of years to yield benefits as more research and more trials are done to confirm results.