Paulo Caramelli, MD, PhD, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, discusses targets under investigation which have the potential to impact the management of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in the future. Tau pathology is known to be strongly correlated to functional deficits in the brains of patients with AD, with the amount and typographic distribution of tau protein being closely related to clinical symptoms. Although this presents a possible target for future drugs, accessing tau is challenging as the protein is located inside neurons. Other targets which are under investigation include inflammation, glial reactivity, and synaptic dysfunction. Prof. Caramelli highlights that AD pathology rarely occurs in isolation, with most patients having a range of comorbidites which contribute to the development and progression of the disease. Comorbidites which increase in prevalence with age, such as vascular disorders and proteinopathies, are key risk factors for AD, and the number of comorbidites an individual has affects the magnitude and rate of cognitive impairment. In the future, combination therapy approaches should be utilized in order to address the various aspects and comorbidities which contribute to the pathophysiology of the disease. This interview took place at the World Congress of Neurology (WCN) 2023 in Montreal, Canada.
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