Treatment of Alzheimer's disease As yet, there is no
preventative or curative treatment for Alzheimer's disease.
Research has shown that the amount of a chemical called
acetylcholine is diminishing in the brains of people with
Alzheimer's disease. Acetylcholine is one of the many chemicals
that nerve cells use to communicate and is a neurotransmitter
that plays a critical role in memory and learning processes.
Donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine have a common mode of
action as all three drugs prevent an enzyme known as
acetylcholinesterase from breaking down acetylcholine in the
brain. However, rivastigmine inhibits both acteylcholinesterase
and butyrylcholinesterase, the two enzymes that break down
acetylcholine in the brain. Galantamine also appears to act on
the nicotinic neuronal receptors in the brain, making them
release more acetylcholine. Increased concentrations of
acetylcholine lead to improved communication between nerve cells
involved in memory and learning, which may in turn temporarily
impro