Emerging treatments
Tau-directed therapies
FTD syndromes that have a predominantly tau pathology are attractive for testing tau-directed therapeutics.[124] These include: tau aggregation inhibitors (e.g., leuco-methylthioninium); blockers of tau modification (e.g., tau acetylation inhibitors); vaccines against tau aggregation; and microtubule stabilizers (e.g., paclitaxel; patients with FTD present microtubule destabilization as a result of a compromised tau binding to these structures).[125][126][127][128] These possible treatments are still in very early stages of investigation.
Therapies for patients with FTD associated with identified mutations
The progranulin stimulator amiodarone has been investigated as a possible therapy for patients with FTD having a mutation in the GRN gene.[129] Another suggested approach is the use of antisense oligonucleotides for patients with FTD with repeat expansions in the C9orf72 gene.[130] These possible treatments are still in very early stages of investigation.
Treatments for behavioral and psychologic symptoms of dementia
There is preliminary evidence that the voltage-gated calcium-channel blockers gabapentin and pregabalin may be effective for treating aggression in patients with dementia, but in the absence of randomized controlled trials no firm conclusions can be drawn.[131]
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