Vascular dementia: Pharmacological treatment approaches and perspectives

Andrius Baskys^1,3, Anthony C Hou²

¹Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior; ²Program in Geriatrics, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California; ³Memory Disorders Program, VA Health Care System Long Beach, Long Beach, California, USA

Abstract: Vascular dementia is a common condition for which there are no effective approved pharmacological treatments available. Absence of effective treatments creates a difficult situation for those suffering from the disease, their caregivers, and healthcare providers. This review will address our current understanding of the mechanisms of nerve cell damage due to ischemia and summarize available clinical trial data on several commonly used compounds including memantine, donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine, nimodipine, hydergine, nicergoline, CDPcholine, folic acid, as well as such nonpharmacological approaches as validation therapy.

Keywords: vascular dementia, excitotoxicity, treatment, NMDA, memantine, donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine, nimodipine, hydergine, nicergoline, CDP-choline, folic acid