Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia and one of the most common diseases of the aging population. It is a chronic brain disease that involves gradual memory loss, decline in the ability to perform routine tasks, disorientation, difficulty in learning, loss of language skills, impairment of judgment, and personality changes in affected individuals. The neurodegenerative nature of the disease eventually leads to the failure of other organ systems and death.
A consistent and marked change in the brains of patients with AD is degeneration of the cholinergic innervation in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex areas. The activity of choline acetyl transferase (ChAT) is significantly reduced in these brain regions, and a linear correlation is seen between the reduction in cortical ChAT activity and the progress of dementia, indicating a progressive loss of cholinergic function.
Receptor selective nicotinic alpha-7 receptor agonists can modulate acetylcholine in selective brain regions and contribute to symptomatic treatment of AD. MEM 3454 is a novel nicotinic alpha-7 receptor selective partial agonist having serotonin type 3 (5-HT3) receptor antagonist properties.
