Angiotensin and Alzheimer's disease: therapeutic prospects.

This review describes the features of Alzheimer's disease and discusses the evidence that antihypertensive therapies may be beneficial in its treatment and prevention. Drugs acting via the renin-angiotensin system are considered and it is suggested that these drugs may produce their effects via mechanisms other than by their antihypertensive actions. Using evidence from animal studies, the role of angiotensin as a neurotransmitter and its involvement in the control of normal cognitive function is described. Studies of angiotensin and human cognition are reviewed along with studies investigating the possible link between disorders of the system, either inherited or acquired, and the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. The therapeutic potential of screening for markers of renin-angiotensin abnormality for the prediction of Alzheimer's disease is considered, as is the potential use of agents known to influence the renin-angiotensin system in the treatment or prevention of the disease.