title: Empirical evidence of neuroprotection by dual cholinesterase inhibition in Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: Brain grey matter density changes were quantified using voxel based morphometry in 26 patients with minimal to mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) treated with three cholinesterase inhibitors over 20 weeks. Patients whose drug treatment also inhibited butyrylcholinesterase did not show the widespread cortical atrophic changes in parietotemporal regions invariably reported in untreated AD patients, and which were detectable in the subgroups treated with selective acetylcholinesterase inhibition. This finding is the first empirical evidence that dual cholinesterase inhibition may have neuroprotective potential in AD.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Neuroscience Centre, Department of Psychology, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull HU6 7RX, UK. a.venneri@hull.ac.uk
authors.forename: Annalena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Venneri
authors.forename: William J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: McGeown
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Shanks
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D002091:Butyrylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D036262:Empirical Research; D006801:Humans; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D002091:Butyrylcholinesterase