Memory improvement without toxicity during chronic, low dose intravenous arecoline in Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract

Arecoline, a cholinergic agonist, administered at low doses by continuous intravenous infusion for up to 2 weeks, significantly and replicably improved memory in five of nine subjects with mild-moderate Alzheimer's disease. During dose finding, performance on a verbal memory task improved with an inverted U-shaped relation to dose. Six of nine subjects were classified as responders. During blinded, placebo-controlled, individualized optimal dosing for 5 days, verbal memory again improved in five of six responders but not in any non-responder. No adverse drug effects occurred. Arecoline, and possibly other cholinergic agonists, can safely improve memory in Alzheimer's disease at doses much lower than previously studied.

• Authors: T T Soncrant, K C Raffaele, S Asthana, A Berardi, P P Morris, J V Haxby
• Journal: Psychopharmacology (Psychopharmacology (Berl)) Vol. 112 Issue 4 Pg. 421-7 ( 1993) ISSN: 0033-3158 [Print] Germany
• PMID: 7871052 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial)

Chemical References

• Arecoline

Topics

• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Alzheimer Disease (complications, drug therapy, psychology)
• Arecoline (administration & dosage, adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Body Temperature (drug effects)
• Cognition (drug effects)
• Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
• Female
• Hemodynamics (drug effects)
• Humans
• Infusion Pumps
• Infusions, Intravenous
• Male
• Memory Disorders (drug therapy, etiology, psychology)
• Memory, Short-Term (drug effects)
• Middle Aged
• Neuropsychological Tests
• Psychomotor Performance (drug effects)