Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementia and Memory Loss Treatments at Emory Neurology & Neurosurgery

Alzheimer's Disease Treatment and Research

If you or a loved one have memory loss or difficulty concentrating, our team can help. We understand how frightening and frustrating the condition is. But you’re not alone.

Experts in our cognitive neurology program work with you to identify the cause of your cognitive changes. Then, our caring team provides innovative medical care and connects you to support services.

Our cognitive neurology program treats:

Alzheimer’s disease
Frontotemporal dementia
Lewy body dementia
Mild cognitive impairment
Vascular dementia

Emory Healthcare is one of the few specialized centers worldwide treating brain disorders and dementia.

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Alzheimer's Disease Treatments

At Emory Healthcare, our Alzheimer’s experts do more than stay up to date with current treatments. We’re leading the way. Our team is actively involved in clinical research to develop new Alzheimer’s disease treatments.

As trusted leaders at the region’s only comprehensive academic health system, we offer unparalleled services. We specialize in personalized care and are dedicated to improving memory and slowing disease progression in every person with Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s disease treatments have two essential goals. The first is to slow disease progression with medicines. The second goal is to ensure you and your family enjoy the highest quality of life possible.

We typically begin treatment for Alzheimer’s with medications. Behavioral therapies also have an essential role in supporting mental and emotional well-being.

Patients with Alzheimer’s and their families work with an expert team of providers. This team includes:

Physicians with expertise in Alzheimer’s disease and dementias
Neuropsychologists with expertise in Alzheimer’s disease and dementias
Advanced practice nurses who specialize in the treatment of dementia
Social workers with extensive experience helping people with Alzheimer’s disease
Cognitive specialists to check how well a patient’s thinking and memory work
Phlebotomists to draw blood for lab work

Creating a Safe Home Environment

Creating a safe home environment is an essential part of Alzheimer’s disease treatment. Our team offers many tips to ensure your home is safe. We also recommend ways to promote independence for your loved one with Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer's Medications

Each group of Alzheimer’s medications works differently. Individual medications target specific stages. We prescribe some medications for mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Other medications target the moderate to advanced stages.

Cholinesterase inhibitors
These medications block an enzyme that destroys acetylcholine (ACh). ACh is a brain chemical (neurotransmitter) that carries messages between nerves. It has a crucial role in memory and learning. Preserving ACh supports memory by ensuring healthy brain cells have more to use.

The drugs in this group include:

Donepezil (Aricept®)

Donepezil transdermal skin patch (Adlarity®)

Galantamine (Razadyne®)

Rivastigmine (Exelon®)
NMDA antagonists

Alzheimer’s disease causes high glutamate levels in the brain. Glutamate is another brain chemical vital for memory and learning. However, excessive glutamate damages nerves.

NMDA antagonists are drugs that lower this activity. The medication may protect the nerves and slow the decline in memory and thinking skills.

Memantine (Namenda®) is currently the only NMDA antagonist available. We may prescribe memantine together with ACh inhibitors.
Anti-amyloid drugs
The brain uses glucose (sugar) for energy. In the process, waste develops. Amyloid proteins are one of those wastes.

Your brain usually flushes out waste. If amyloids stay in the brain, they clump together in the spaces between nerves. These clumps are amyloid plaques, one of the top causes of Alzheimer’s disease.

Medications can target and destroy amyloid plaques. There are currently two anti-amyloid drugs available:

Donanemab (Kisunla®)

Lecanemab (Leqembi®)

You receive both medications through an intravenous (IV) infusion.
Brexpiprazole (Rexulti®)

Behavioral Therapies for Alzheimer's Disease

Behavioral therapy can improve many challenges caused by Alzheimer’s disease. Cognitive therapy teaches skills to support memory and daily activities. Other therapies support emotional and behavioral concerns, such as:

Agitation
Anger
Anxiety
Delusions (believing things that aren’t true)
Depression
Difficulty sleeping
Hallucinations (seeing, hearing or feeling something that’s not there)
Physical or verbal outbursts
Restlessness
Wandering

While medications are available for these challenges, they may not be safe if you have Alzheimer’s disease. That’s why we may recommend talk therapy before considering other treatment options.

Alzheimer's Treatment Research and Clinical Trials

Our cognitive neurology team works with the researchers at Emory University Goizueta Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC).

Emory investigators are dedicated to finding diagnostic strategies and medications to stop or slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. To achieve that goal, we conduct a wide range of clinical trials.

We study new medications to determine their effectiveness. And we explore new ways old drugs can treat Alzheimer’s disease.

We also study treatments other than medications for Alzheimer’s disease. For example, the HOPE Study is a clinical trial for a wearable device.

The device uses mild electrical stimulation to improve nerve activity. Boosting nerve activity improves memory and thinking skills. And it slows the loss of brain cells.

Your participation in clinical studies may give you the chance to try new treatments.

As we pursue new treatments and a cure, we frequently add new studies and clinical trials. Talk with your doctor to learn if you’re a good fit for one of our current studies.