Drug discovery in dementia: the role of rodent models

Recent advances in the understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying Alzheimer's disease have pointed to novel strategies for drug development. Animal models have contributed considerably to these advances, and will have a key role in the evaluation of therapeutics that could have the potential not just to alleviate the dementia associated with Alzheimer's disease, but to modify the disease process. Here, we summarize and critically evaluate current rodent models of dementia, and discuss their role in drug discovery and development.