Is caffeine a potential therapeutic intervention for Alzheimer's disease?

Abstract

Caffeine is the most commonly used stimulant drug in the world. Increasing evidence has indicated that caffeine may have a neuroprotective effect in delaying the onset or treatment of several neurodegenerative disorders, especially Alzheimer's disease (AD). During the progression of AD, accelerated memory loss and cognitive decline are accompanied by two neuropathological hallmarks, the accumulation of amyloid- and tau proteins. The long incubation nature of AD before definitive diagnosis combined with extended duration of life spent with illness contribute significantly to the public health burden, as patients spend much of their end life in a state of severe disability and heavy dependence. Moreover, current drug treatments only provide marginal benefits, creating an urgent need for developing new therapeutic options. There is supportive evidence from clinical trials that caffeine has neuroprotective properties against dementia and AD, but more research is needed to strengthen and confirm these observations. This mini-review presents a short synopsis of the effect of caffeine/coffee on cognition and Alzheimer's disease by evaluating a substantial basis of clinical trials that are related to this topic.

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