Alzheimer's Research Milestones

Key discoveries in Alzheimer's research span over a century, from initial identification to understanding protein pathologies and developing the first targeted treatments.

The top 3

  1. Alois Alzheimer's Discovery: In 1906, German physician Alois Alzheimer first described 'a peculiar disease' in Auguste D., noting profound memory loss and abnormal deposits (plaques and tangles) in her brain post-mortem.
  2. Amyloid & Tau Identification: By the 1980s, researchers identified amyloid-beta plaques and tau neurofibrillary tangles as the two main protein hallmarks accumulating in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.
  3. First FDA-Approved Drugs: Tacrine (Cognex) became the first FDA-approved drug for Alzheimer's in 1993, targeting symptoms, followed by Aducanumab in 2021, the first to address underlying amyloid pathology.

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