NICOTINIC RECEPTORS AND NEURODEGENERATIVE DEMENTING DISEASES - BASIC RESEARCH AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Nicotinic cholinergic agonists represent a relatively newly developing area for therapeutic intervention in Alzheimer disease (AD) and relat ed neurodegenerative dementias. Loss of cholinergic receptors has been reported not only in AD but also in Parkinson's disease, Lewy body de mentia, and progressive supranuclear palsy. Clinical studies suggest t hat compounds that act to stimulate nicotinic receptors may improve le arning and memory in a variety of models of cognitive impairment in an imals. Early clinical studies have suggested positive effects on cogni tion of nicotine in human beings with and without AD. Finally, nicotin ic compounds might slow the progression of AD, as suggested by preclin ical models of cell death as well as epidemiological evidence of a pro tective effect of smoking in AD and Parkinson's disease.