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Alzheimer disease

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Alzheimer's disease is a brain disorder that slowly damages memory and thinking; it is the most common cause of dementia in older adults.

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What is Alzheimer's disease?

Alzheimer's disease is a brain disorder that gets worse over time. It first affects the parts of the brain that deal with thinking, memory and language, and in time it makes everyday tasks hard. It is not a normal part of ageing. The exact cause is not fully understood. Researchers think it comes from a mix of age-related changes in the brain, genes, other health conditions and lifestyle.

What are the signs?

Early signs often include trouble remembering recent events or people's names. Later, people may:

  • get lost in familiar places;
  • ask the same questions again and again;
  • have trouble speaking, reading or writing;
  • stop recognising family members or looking after themselves.

Over time, anxiety, aggression or wandering can appear, and eventually the person needs full-time care.

Who gets it, and how is it diagnosed?

Age is the biggest risk factor. Most people who get it are 65 or older; it is uncommon before 65. A family history raises the risk, but many people with Alzheimer's have none. Hearing loss, depression and head injury are also linked to a higher risk. Doctors diagnose it by testing memory and problem-solving, asking about changes in behaviour, and ruling out other causes.

Is there a cure?

Not yet. No treatment can stop the disease. Some medicines can help keep symptoms from getting worse, but only for a limited time.

Machine summary of published research · sources and dates below · 2026-11-06

Written from: MedlinePlus: Alzheimer's Disease (2025-03-12) · read on 2026-11-06

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Cure
No cure yetSource: NICE
Standard treatment
Symptom medicines (e.g. donepezil) plus supportSource: NICE

What do you need help with?

Where treatment stands for Alzheimer disease

Four steps, from proven to unproven.

  1. Approved in Austria

    Usual treatment: Symptom medicines (e.g. donepezil) plus support. NICE

    We do not have the list of medicines approved in Austria yet. Your doctor knows what is available here.

  2. Being tested in people

    5 open trials in Austria, 619 worldwide. See the trials

    • 2 Phase 1
    • 1 Phase 2
    • 0 Phase 3
    • 2 Other studies

    Phase 1 – first tests in people, mainly for safety · Phase 2 – does it help? · Phase 3 – compared with the usual treatment.

    Trials taking new patients now. Each trial counts once; one in two phases counts as the higher one.

    • ACP-204 (Phase 3)
    • AR1001 (Phase 3)
    • Atomoxetine (Phase 3)
    • buntanetap/posiphen (Phase 3)

  3. Only in the lab or in animals

    Of the 20 newest articles, 1 was in animals and 0 in the lab. See them

  4. No proof it works

    We have not checked claims for this disease yet. Check a post or a product

Latest research

The five newest articles. The label comes from the PubMed index: whether it was tested in people, in animals or only in the lab.

Not labelled yet: PubMed has not indexed the article yet, so we do not guess.

All articles further down this page

Support near you

Patient groups and help in Austria.

  • Alzheimer AustriaSelf-help organisation for 35+ years: free confidential counselling by appointment (alzheimeraustria@aon.at), young-onset group, peer counselling, partner and adult-children groups, Alzheimer Cafe, carer course.
  • Demenz Selbsthilfe AustriaFederation and umbrella organisation of dementia self-help groups in Austria (founded 2021); Alzheimer Europe full member.
  • Demenzstrategie „Gut leben mit Demenz“Public portal of Austria's national dementia strategy with material for people with dementia and relatives and links to regional services.

All supportOrganisations that can help, further down this page

Cure status

Closest to patients

  1. A Study to Evaluate KarXT as a Treatment for Psychosis Associated With Alzheimer's Disease (ADEPT-4)Phase 3 trial: KarXTPsychotech Kft. · Pécs, Hungary + 277 more hospitalsPhase 3Results expected 2026
  2. Evaluate the Use of [18F]-APN-1607 PET in Subjects With AD-related Cognitive Impairment and Subjects With Normal Cognitive FunctionPhase 3 trial: Alzheimer diseaseJYAMS PET Research & Development Limited (sponsor) · 2 hospitals in ChinaPhase 3Results expected 2026
  3. A Study to Assess Efficacy and Safety of KarXT for the Treatment of Psychosis Associated With Alzheimer's Disease (ADEPT-2)Phase 3 trial: KarXTJESSA Ziekenhuis · Hasselt, Belgium + 149 more hospitalsPhase 3Results expected 2026

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Who are you looking for?

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If you are looking for a relative

Here you will find questions you can ask, help with difficult talks, organisations for carers and your relative's rights.

Questions for your relative's doctor

How do I talk to them about this?

You do not need the right words. Ask what your relative wants to know, and let them set the pace. These pages can help.

Support for you as a carer

Looking after someone is work too. These organisations help carers, and the list further down this page shows helplines by country.

Organisations on this page

Power of attorney and patient rights, by country

A doctor can share information and a relative can act only with the patient's consent or a legal authority. It is easier to arrange this early.

If you are looking for your child

Children are often treated differently from adults, in specialist centres. Here is where to start.

Before you pay

Parents often receive offers of paid treatment. Please go through this list before you pay for anything.

Open the before-you-pay list

For patient organisations

You can share or print these pages for your members. They are free and need no account.

Apply for experimental treatment or a research study

The trial team decides who can take part; your doctor can help you ask.

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See all 895 studies

Latest news

Results, new trials and publications, newest first. Every item links to its source.

Results and new studies, newest first, in plain words.

Plain-language summary pending. Original title shown.

New and changed trials of the last 30 days, without an account and without tracking.

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See all 15,677 news items

Tools for your next step

Questions for your doctor

Pick up to 5 questions for your situation, then print them or take them on your phone.

Choose questions

Used an AI to ask about this?

Five questions that help you check the answer.

See the five questions
If the treatment is not working

If the treatment has stopped working, or you were told there are no more options, here is what you can ask and where you can look next.

Do not stop or put off treatment without talking to your doctor.

Questions for this situation

Trials for people who have already been treated

Many trials look specifically for people who have already had treatment. Registries mark these with words like "previously treated", "refractory" or "relapsed". The trial team decides who can take part.

What a phase 1 trial is for

A phase 1 trial mainly tests whether a new medicine is safe and which dose can be given. It is not built to show that the medicine works.

Compassionate use

Some medicines not yet approved can be given outside a trial when there is no other option. This does not exist for every medicine or in every country. Your doctor makes the request, and the authority or the manufacturer decides.

A second opinion

Asking for a second opinion is normal and does not mean you distrust your doctor. Take your results and a list of your treatments with you. For rare diseases, your doctor can also ask a European Reference Network.

Palliative care

This is care for symptoms and quality of life, and you can have it alongside other treatment. It does not mean anyone has given up on you.

Before you pay

In this situation many people receive offers of paid treatment. Go through this list before you pay for anything.

Open the before-you-pay list

If this feels too heavy right now

You can talk to someone. In Hungary and in the UK, 116 123 is a free line for emotional support, day and night. The list on this page shows helplines in other countries.

Not medical advice. Talk to your care team before you change anything in your treatment.

Organisations that can help

Helplines, patient groups and support services for you and your family.

Select your country to see the organisations there, starting with the ones closest to you.

International organisations

Umbrella organisations (they connect national groups)

General support

For anyone who is ill, whatever the disease: patients' rights and legal aid, crisis lines, hospice and palliative care, care in another EU country, and patient organisations' umbrella bodies.

International

Frontlight is not affiliated with these organisations; we list them because they help.

Checked automatically every 90 days.

Find fellow researchers

Groups with active Alzheimer disease work.

Harvard University

Cambridge, United States

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University College London

London, United Kingdom

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University of California, San Francisco

San Francisco, United States

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Massachusetts General Hospital

Boston, United States

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Washington University in St. Louis

St Louis, United States

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University of Wisconsin–Madison

Madison, United States

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University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, United States

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University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, United States

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University of Southern California

Los Angeles, United States

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University of Gothenburg

Gothenburg, Sweden

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UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology

London, United Kingdom

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UK Dementia Research Institute

London, United Kingdom

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