title: Huperzine A: A promising anticonvulsant, disease modifying, and memory enhancing treatment option in Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most frequent cause of dementia. Besides cognitive deterioration, patients with AD are prone to seizures - more than 20% of patients diagnosed with AD experience at least one unprovoked seizure and up to 7% have recurrent seizures. Although available antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) may suppress seizures in patients with AD, they may also worsen cognitive dysfunction and increase the risk of falls. On the basis of preclinical studies, we hypothesize that Huperzine A (HupA), a safe and potent acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor with potentially disease-modifying qualities in AD, may have a realistic role as an anticonvulsant in AD.
authors.affiliation: F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Ugur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Damar
authors.affiliation: F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Roman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gersner
authors.affiliation: Biscayne Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Miami, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Johnstone
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schachter
authors.affiliation: F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: Alexander.Rotenberg@childrens.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rotenberg
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism; D000470:Alkaloids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy; D059330:GABAergic Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000378:metabolism; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010766:Phosphorylation; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors; D012640:Seizures; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D000927:Anticonvulsants; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; C050426:huperzine A; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase
keywords: Acetylcholinesterase; Alzheimer’s disease; Antiepileptic; Huperzine A; Nicotinic; Seizure; ppTMS