认知能力(Cognitive)损害与许多精神病理过程有关,包括原发性变性痴呆、Alzheimer’s病、Pick’s病、多发性梗塞性痴呆、脑血管意外、颅内压正常脑积水、中枢神经系统肿瘤和头部外伤等。鉴于至今已研究的大多数认知增强剂已试用于阿尔茨海默型老年痴呆(Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer’sType,SDAT),所以本文将主要集中讨论SDAT的病理生理机制及治疗措施。自1970年Alois Alzheimer首先描述了渐进性记忆缺陷症以来,对SDAT发病的病理生理机制提出许多假说。其中已肯定Alzheimer’s病是老化过程中的一个正常现象。调查结果证明Alzheimer’s病的发病率随年龄的增加而升高,同时Alzheimer’s病尚伴有其它的病理改变——老年斑、神经原纤维缠结。认知能力损伤的程度与病理性改变的程度呈比例。已研究的许多药物在于改善或停止SDAT认知能力损伤的过程。迄今为止,研 Cognitive impairment is associated with many psychopathological processes, including primary degenerative dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Pick’s disease, multiple infarct dementias, cerebrovascular accidents, normal intracranial pressure hydrocephalus, central nervous system tumors and Head trauma and so on. Since most of the cognitive enhancers that have been studied so far have been tested for Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer’s Type (SDAT), this article will mainly focus on the pathophysiological mechanisms of SDAT and its treatment. Since Alois Alzheimer first described progressive memory deficits in 1970, many hypotheses have been proposed regarding the pathophysiological mechanisms of the pathogenesis of SDAT. Which has been affirmed Alzheimer’s disease is a normal phenomenon in the aging process. The results show that the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease increases with age, while Alzheimer’s disease is accompanied by other pathological changes - senile plaques, neurofibrillary tangles. The extent of cognitive impairment is proportional to the degree of pathological changes. Many drugs that have been studied lie in the process of ameliorating or cessation of SDAT cognitive impairment. So far, research