Can Dementia Be Cured? Understanding Dementia Treatment Options

Developing dementia can be a serious worry for many people as they approach their later years. This condition can rob those affected of their health, memory, and awareness, while their loved ones may need to grapple with the difficulties of caregiving and the challenges of making complex care decisions. Does a dementia diagnosis always signal an irreversible decline, or is there any way this type of illness can be cured?

A singular cure for dementia may never be possible because dementia isn’t a single disease. It can describe a collection of symptoms that may occur due to several possible causes. Current medical knowledge can only reverse the symptoms of a handful of rare forms of dementia. However, research into cures for other varieties is ongoing, and certain experimental treatments might one day offer significant relief. Regular therapy sessions may be helpful for those with dementia and their caregivers, as licensed mental health professionals can teach them coping skills and offer support.

Safeguarding your mental health could help prevent dementia

Talk to a licensed therapist online

Currently incurable forms of dementia

Dementia (sometimes called “major neurocognitive disorder” by medical professionals) generally refers to a collection of symptoms involving the deterioration of major cognitive skills such as memory, decision-making, language ability, and awareness of identity, place, and time. Personality changes, such as increased paranoia and aggression or loss of interest in social interaction, can also be common symptoms. 

Dementia can be caused by a variety of different diseases or injuries to the brain. As such, researchers consider it unlikely that a single form of treatment will ever be able to cure all forms of dementia. Instead, most efforts concentrate on curing or preventing particular causes of dementia.

Alzheimer’s disease and other common types of dementia

There are currently no cures for the four most common types of dementia, which are believed to account for more than 95% of cases. Ranked from most to least prevalent, they include the following:

• Alzheimer’s disease: Normally caused by protein plaques and tangles that disrupt and destroy nerve cells throughout the brain, typically beginning in the hippocampus (a region heavily involved in memory formation and recall)

• Vascular dementia: Can be caused by many different conditions that disrupt the flow of blood to brain cells, causing them to die off from lack of oxygen

• Frontotemporal dementia: Typically caused by damage to the brain’s temporal and frontal lobes, possibly due to genes causing protein malformation

• Lewy body dementia: Usually caused by unhealthy deposits of a protein called alpha-synuclein that build up inside neurons in the brain

All of the above forms of dementia are considered progressive diseases that worsen over time, and they often have fatal complications. While some novel treatments might slow their progression, there’s currently no way to halt or reverse them.

Curable or treatable types of dementia

Certain types of dementia may be reversible with proper treatment:

• Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH): This condition is usually caused by an excess of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) inside the brain's ventricles, which places pressure on neurons and interferes with their function. Along with classic symptoms of dementia, like memory loss, this can cause movement difficulties and incontinence. Shunting the excess CSF can relieve the pressure on the brain, leading to a significant recovery of cognitive function in many patients.

• Autoimmune dementia: This form of dementia can result from the immune system becoming dysfunctional, causing harmful inflammation within the brain and spine. Treatments that remove overactive antibodies can lead to complete or near-complete recovery, especially when the disease is identified and treated in the early stages.

• HIV-associated dementia (HAD): Resulting from the infection of brain immune cells by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), this condition can result in rapidly progressing dementia symptoms, such as memory loss and difficulties with speech and thinking. Treating the infection with antiretroviral medication can often reverse the effects of HAD and allow individuals to survive and function similarly to non-infected individuals.

These forms of dementia tend to be rare and complex, and not all patients respond equally well to treatment. However, the fact that signs of dementia may dwindle or disappear when the underlying cause is treated suggests that similar effects might one day be possible for more common conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.

Dementia research and potential brain cures

Although there are no curative treatments currently approved for the most widespread forms of dementia, research into possible cures remains ongoing. Some studies have identified medications that may treat dementia or point the way to more effective methods.

This information is meant for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult your doctor regarding medication questions.

Lecanemab

This monoclonal antibody generally aims to treat Alzheimer’s disease by targeting and destroying amyloid-beta. This protein fragment usually clumps into large “plaques” in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients and can play a significant role in this disease’s effects on the brain. Clinical trials have found that lecanemab can slow the progression of cognitive decline, and the FDA has approved it for use in early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.

Donanemab

Donanemab is another experimental antibody that can target amyloid plaques, disrupting them as they cluster together. A large-scale trial found that it could slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease at least as much as lecanemab. It may be more effective the earlier a patient receives treatment. Roughly half of the participants in the 18-month trial showed no deterioration in their memory and cognitive skills.

CTx1000

This experimental gene therapy technique appears to dissolve the unhealthy buildup of a protein called TDP-43, which tends to be involved in many forms of frontotemporal dementia. 

Latozinemab

Another antibody-based treatment, latozinemab may help to counteract the effects of a gene mutation for a regulatory protein called granulin. This mutation is considered one of the most significant risk factors in frontotemporal dementia, and clinical trials are investigating the effectiveness of latozinemab for this disease.

Remternetug

Like donanemab and lecanemab, remternetug is an immunotherapy medication targeting amyloid-beta. Early research reported by the manufacturer suggests that it might be able to reduce the volume of brain plaques in people with Alzheimer’s disease. 

4-phenylbutyrate (PBA)

This lipid molecule can work against protein accumulation and may counteract the buildup of harmful amyloid plaques.

Dementia treatment options 

While the medications described above may help with the diseases underlying dementia, research into their effectiveness is still in the very early stages, and the results so far aren’t definitive. In the meantime, many of the current care approaches below aim to treat symptoms of dementia, such as cognitive impairment and mood disruptions. 

Managing mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s, and related conditions: Dementia treatment options

• Cognitive training: Training in specific cognitive skills may preserve mental functions like working memory and verbal fluency in people with dementia. This may be especially effective for people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a milder condition that often appears as a precursor to dementia.

• Psychotherapy: Some forms of talk therapy can relieve symptoms like depression that often decrease the quality of life in people with dementia.

• Cholinesterase inhibitors: These medications may slow the breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which can alleviate cognitive symptoms in some cases of moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease.

• Glutamate regulators: By limiting the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate, these medications may improve memory, attention, and language ability in some people with dementia.  

• Exercise therapy: Coaching patients through physical exercises like resistance training may preserve cognitive function in individuals with dementia.

Preventing dementia 

While there’s currently no cure available for dementia (except some of the rarest forms), adopting certain healthy lifestyle and mental health habits may significantly reduce your chances of developing this type of illness in the first place. 

One strategy may be to increase your “cognitive reserve” by engaging in intellectually stimulating activities. Activities like reading books, learning new skills, playing challenging games, and participating in creative hobbies may help your brain form a wider network of connections. This can offer defense against the impairment caused by dementia. 

Safeguarding your mental health could help prevent dementia

Talk to a licensed therapist online

Depression also appears to be a risk factor for dementia, suggesting that therapy could be a form of preventative care for some people. If you’re experiencing life stress or difficult emotions, talking about them with a mental health professional might benefit your mental health and lower your odds of developing dementia.

Addressing the emotional effects of brain disease with online therapy

Not everyone is easily able to make time for mental health care. Online therapy platforms can make this easier since they tend to offer flexible scheduling options and don’t require you to travel to appointments.

Internet-based therapy is gaining increasing recognition for its effectiveness in helping with mental health difficulties. One study from 2020 reviewed 17 different trials and found that online cognitive-behavioral therapy worked as well as in-person treatment for symptoms of depression.