Nonmedication Devices in Development for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease

J Alzheimers Dis Rep. 2024 Feb 16;8(1):241-255. doi: 10.3233/ADR-230115. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

Huge investments continue to be made in treatment for Alzheimer's disease (AD), with more than one hundred drugs currently in development. Pharmacological approaches and drug development, particularly those targeting amyloid-β, have dominated the therapeutic landscape. At the same time, there is also a growing interest in devices for treating AD. This review aimed to identify and describe devices under development for AD treatment. In this review, we queried the devices that are in development for the treatment of AD. PubMed was searched through the end of 2021 using the terms "device," "therapeutics," and "Alzheimer's" for articles that report on devices to treat AD. Ten devices with 31 references were identified as actively being developed for the treatment of AD. Many of these devices are far along in development. Device-based therapies are often overlooked when evaluating treatment approaches to AD. However, many devices for treating AD are in development and some show promising results.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; clinical trials; devices; treatment.

Publication types

  • Review