title: Cholinergic drugs in pharmacotherapy of Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: The cholinergic hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease has spurred the development of numerous structural classes of compounds with different pharmacological profiles aimed at increasing central cholinergic neurotransmission, thus providing a symptomatic treatment for this disease. Indeed, the only drugs currently approved for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease are cholinomimetics with the pharmacological profile of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. Recent evidence of a potential disease modifying role of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and M(1) muscarinic agonists have led to a revival of this approach, which might be considered as more than a symptomatic treatment.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D018678:Cholinergic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D017661:Receptors, Presynaptic / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D018678:Cholinergic Agents; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D017661:Receptors, Presynaptic