| abstract |
Methods for treating the very early (presymptomatic) stages of Alzheimer's disease are disclosed, wherein NMDA antagonist drugs are administered to protect NMDA receptors against neuronal damage. Since NMDA antagonists may cause a condition known as NMDA receptor hypofunction (NR/hypo) that triggers neurotoxic side effects, they may be co-administered with, or have inherent activity as, "safener" drugs to prevent toxic side effects. The patient's status must be monitored, so that any NMDA antagonist drugs can be discontinued if a condition of NR/hypo arises. Otherwise, the NMDA antagonist drugs can worsen and accelerate the damage caused by the disease. |