title: [Tacrine].
abstract: Significant changes in cholinergic neurotransmission have been described in Alzheimer's disease (AD). These findings led to consider cholinergic deficit as the main disturbance in AD, due to degeneration of presynaptic cholinergic neurons, and that replacement of acetylcholine could restore the cognitive alterations characteristic of AD. Although it was soon demonstrated that cholinergic deficit was not the only change, cholinergic hypothesis has allowed to set several possible therapeutic strategies for these severe disease, the most promising is administration of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. Of all the compounds investigated, tacrine (tetrahydroamineacridine) has shown in several clinical trials a positive effect on memory in patients with symptoms of slight to moderate severity. Although not all studies have given successful result, probably due to methodological differences, global clinical impression has justified the introduction of tacrine as the first palliative therapy in AD.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurología y Neurocirugía y Neurocirugía, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Navarra.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dávila
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Viteri
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: de Castro
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000172:deficiency / Q000502:physiology; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004347:Drug Interactions; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010166:Palliative Care; D013619:Tacrine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D018697:Nootropic Agents; D013619:Tacrine; D000109:Acetylcholine
vernacular_title: Tacrina.