Alzheimer's disease (Alzheimer disease, AD) is a neurodegenerative disease of which etiology and pathogenesis has not been fully elucidated. Its symptoms are decreased memory and daily behavior capacity loss, cognitive impairment and personality changes. The pathogenesis are divergent, including micro environment related A beta amyloid cascade hypothesis, cholinergic damage theory, the abnormal immune theory, associated with neuronal Tau protein hypothesis, neural cell apoptosis theory, genes associated with apolipoprotein epsilon 4 gene, presenilin 1 and presenilin 2 gene and amyloid precursor protein gene. The western medicine treatment includes acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, reduced beta amyloid (A beta) generation, drug deposition, antioxidants and others. The traditional Chinese medicine treatment includes tonic drugs, living blood stasis drugs, eliminating phlegm and relieving asthma drugs. This article reviews the research progress of the pathogenesis and drug treatment of AD in recent years at home and abroad.