Though such problems are risk factors for stroke and other vascular damage, they do not cause dementia in themselves. Currently, there are more than 75 substances being studied in the search for medications that may improve cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, such as memory loss and confusion. This section addresses some of the issues and procedures involved in experimental drug studies. Estrogen is a hormone dominant in the female reproductive system. The majority of estrogen is produced by the ovaries of the female.
Men also produce estrogen by converting testosterone into estrogen.
Estrogen also has been found to have many beneficial effects on brain cells. ENA 713 is an experimental drug. This drug is currently being evaluated in patients with Alzheimer's disease to determine whether it will alleviate some of the symptoms of the disease. These are some of the questions that researchers seeking to identify risk factors for Alzheimer's disease are attempting to answer. The Genetics of Alzheimer's Disease Studies of the genetics of Alzheimer's disease are yielding fundamental leads, which are helping to direct efforts to understand the causes and mechanisms of the disease.