An Intranosological Classification of Alzheimer’s Disease as a Multi-Stage Dementing Process - The Basis for Individualized Therapeutic Strategies (a developmental-semiological approach)

Those working in the field of psychiatry of old age are confronted with growing difficulties in choosing proper therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer’s disease patients. The evaluation of the efficacy of interventional strategies on pathognomonic clinical manifestations belonging to different stages of Alzheimer’s disease remains an intriguing issue of theoretical and practical importance. By overcoming this challenge it will be possible to answer the following three questions: (a) what are the typical stages along the temporal trajectory of Alzheimer’s disease; (b) are there any reliable ways of intervention, e.g. functional rehabilitation according to the stages concept of Alzheimer’s disease; (c) what are the reasons for different progressions of Alzheimer’s disease; and whether there are strategies to delay this process by keeping patients on a definite functional level.