Alzheimer's»

Disease information

Memory goes first. Then everything else.

Alzheimer's gets worse over years, in three stages. There is no cure yet, but new drugs can slow it, and a "brain shuttle" drug is in big trials now.

See the stages
Brain scan showing Alzheimer's Image: National Institute on Aging, public domain, Wikimedia Commons 04 07 Next: Statistics Who gets Alzheimer's, in numbers

01 / Symptoms

Three stages

Early (mild)

  • Forgets names and words
  • Loses things
  • Trouble planning
  • Can still drive and work

Middle (moderate)

  • Usually the longest stage
  • Forgets their own life history
  • Confused about where they are and what day it is
  • Wanders, mood swings, needs help getting dressed

Late (severe)

  • Needs care around the clock
  • Can't hold a conversation
  • Trouble walking, sitting and swallowing
  • Catches infections easily

Does it vary? Yes. "Each person may experience symptoms and progress through the stages differently," and the stages overlap. Mild and moderate together last about 2-10 years, and severe about 1-5.

02 / Effects on the body

From brain cells to the whole body

  1. Cells: neurons lose connections and die.
  2. Tissue: the hippocampus shrinks first, then the cortex.
  3. Organ: the whole brain shrinks (atrophy).
  4. Body: as the brain stops running the body, people lose weight and bladder control and can have seizures, falls, broken bones and bedsores.
  5. Death: the most common cause is aspiration pneumonia. Swallowing fails, food slips into the lungs, and the weak body can't fight the infection.

Life span and survival

People 65 and older live an average of 4 to 8 years after diagnosis, and some live as long as 20. There is no cure, and the disease is ultimately fatal.

A healthy brain compared with a brain shrunken by Alzheimer's.
A healthy brain compared with a brain shrunken by Alzheimer's.
Image: National Institute on Aging (ADEAR), public domain, Wikimedia Commons

03 / Current treatments

Treatments today

TreatmentWhat it doesKey fact
Donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamineBoost a messenger chemical so neurons communicate a little betterEases symptoms only
MemantineProtects neurons from overstimulationFor moderate to severe stages
Lecanemab (Leqembi)Antibody that grabs amyloid and clears it outFDA full approval 2023. Slowed decline 27% over 18 months. Since July 2026 it can be started with shots at home.
Donanemab (Kisunla)Amyloid-clearing antibody given by monthly IVFDA approved 2024
Non-drug careExercise, music, routines, a fall-proof home, support for caregiversHelps quality of life

The catch: the new antibody drugs only work in the early stage, and they can cause ARIA, which is brain swelling or tiny bleeds (12.5% of lecanemab patients in its trial). Patients need MRIs before and during treatment.

04 / The breakthrough

Trontinemab: the "brain shuttle"

The brain is guarded by a wall called the blood-brain barrier. Antibody drugs are huge, so most of each dose can't get through.

Trontinemab carries a "key" that fits the door iron uses to enter the brain, so it rides in like a Trojan horse.

91%of patients on the top dose had their amyloid cleared to normal in 28 weeks
<5%had brain swelling, and it was mild

Two phase 3 trials with about 2,160 people are running now, with results expected around 2028. A third began in September 2026 to test whether it can prevent Alzheimer's. It's not approved yet.

Fixing the organelle itself

Drugs that repair the lysosome are just starting human testing. LW-1017 gave its first human dose in May 2026, but so far it has only worked in mice. Also new: since 2025, a blood test can help diagnose Alzheimer's.

See the statisticsThe trial
A neuron. New drugs aim to clear the amyloid around neurons like this one.
A neuron. New drugs aim to clear the amyloid around neurons like this one.
Image: LadyofHats, public domain, Wikimedia Commons

Sources for this tab

  1. Alzheimer's Association. What Is Alzheimer's Disease? https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-alzheimers
  2. Alzheimer's Association. Stages of Alzheimer's. https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/stages
  3. Alzheimer's Association. Inside the Brain: A Tour of How the Mind Works, Part 2. https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-alzheimers/brain-tour-part-2
  4. National Institute on Aging. What Happens to the Brain in Alzheimer's Disease? https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimers-causes-and-risk-factors/what-happens-brain-alzheimers-disease
  5. National Institute on Aging. Caring for a Person with Alzheimer's Disease (booklet). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-HE20_3850-PURL-LPS33434/pdf/GOVPUB-HE20_3850-PURL-LPS33434.pdf
  6. Cleveland Clinic. Alzheimer's Disease. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9164-alzheimers-disease
  7. UCLA Health. What is the cause of death in Alzheimer's disease? https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/ask-the-doctors-what-is-the-cause-of-death-in-alzheimers-disease
  8. Alzheimer's Association. Alzheimer's Facts and Figures. https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures
  9. Alzheimer's Association. Medications for Memory, Cognition and Dementia-Related Behaviors. https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/treatments/medications-for-memory
  10. U.S. FDA. FDA Converts Novel Alzheimer's Disease Treatment to Traditional Approval (2023). https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-converts-novel-alzheimers-disease-treatment-traditional-approval
  11. NeurologyLive. Lecanemab Clarity AD results. https://www.neurologylive.com/view/alzheimer-disease-lecanemab-reduction-cdr-sum-boxes-clarity-ad
  12. U.S. FDA. FDA Approves First Home Starting Dose for Alzheimer's Disease Treatment (2026). https://www.fda.gov/drugs/news-events-human-drugs/fda-approves-first-home-starting-dose-alzheimers-disease-treatment
  13. Eli Lilly. Kisunla (donanemab) approved by FDA (2024). https://investor.lilly.com/news-releases/news-release-details/lillys-kisunlatm-donanemab-azbt-approved-fda-treatment-early
  14. U.S. FDA. Leqembi prescribing information (2026). https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugs/label/2026/761375s001lbl.pdf
  15. National Institute on Aging. Staying Physically Active with Alzheimer's. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/exercise-and-physical-activity/staying-physically-active-alzheimers
  16. Roche. Trontinemab phase Ib/IIa data (July 28, 2025). https://www.roche.com/media/releases/med-cor-2025-07-28
  17. Medscape. Trontinemab rapidly clears amyloid with less ARIA (2025). https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/trontinemab-rapidly-clears-amyloid-less-aria-2025a1000xzj
  18. ClinicalTrials.gov. TRONTIER 1 phase 3 trial of trontinemab (NCT07169578). https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07169578
  19. pharmaphorum. Major trial of Roche Alzheimer's drug kicks off (2026). https://pharmaphorum.com/news/major-trial-roche-alzheimers-drug-kicks-europe
  20. Lysoway Therapeutics. Phase I dosing of LW-1017 (2026). https://www.lysoway.com/companynews/lysoway-therapeutics-announces-phase-i-dosing-of-lw-1017-the-first-trpml1-agonist-to-enter-clinical-development/
  21. Alzheimer Europe. EVOKE and EVOKE+ trials show no effect of oral semaglutide (2025). https://www.alzheimer-europe.org/news/results-evoke-and-evoke-trials-show-no-effect-oral-semaglutide-ad-progression
  22. U.S. FDA. FDA Clears First Blood Test Used in Diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease (2025). https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-clears-first-blood-test-used-diagnosing-alzheimers-disease