Effects of a single dose of the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor velnacrine on recognition memory and regional cerebral blood flow in Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract

The effects of a single oral dose of the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor velnacrine maleate on word and object recognition memory and regional uptake of 99mTc-exametazime were examined in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Word recognition memory was marginally improved 2 h after 75 mg velnacrine. With the same dose of velnacrine a relative increase in superior frontal uptake of 99mTc-exametazime was shown with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). This suggests increased regional perfusion and metabolism as a consequence of cholinergic stimulation. The effect did not co-vary with the degree of memory improvement, but, instead, more cognitively impaired patients showed a greater increase in tracer uptake after velnacrine, suggesting cholinergic hypersensitivity in the brains of Alzheimer patients.

• Authors: K P Ebmeier, R Hunter, S M Curran, N J Dougal, C L Murray, D J Wyper, J Patterson, M T Hanson, K Siegfried, G M Goodwin
• Journal: Psychopharmacology (Psychopharmacology (Berl)) Vol. 108 Issue 1-2 Pg. 103-9 ( 1992) ISSN: 0033-3158 [Print] Germany
• PMID: 1410128 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Cholinesterase Inhibitors
• Tacrine
• Physostigmine
• velnacrine

Topics

• Aged
• Alzheimer Disease (drug therapy, physiopathology, psychology)
• Cerebrovascular Circulation (drug effects)
• Cholinesterase Inhibitors (therapeutic use)
• Cognition (drug effects)
• Double-Blind Method
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Memory (drug effects)
• Middle Aged
• Physostigmine (therapeutic use)
• Tacrine (analogs & derivatives, therapeutic use)
• Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon