MEMORY IMPROVEMENT WITHOUT TOXICITY DURING CHRONIC, LOW-DOSE INTRAVENOUS ARECOLINE IN ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE

Arecoline, a cholinergic agonist, administered at low doses by continu ous intravenous infusion for up to 2 weeks, significantly and replicab ly improved memory in five of nine subjects with mild-moderate Alzheim er's disease. During dose finding, performance on a verbal memory task improved with an inverted U-shaped relation to dose. Six of nine subj ects were classified as responders. During blinded, placebo-controlled , individualized optimal dosing for 5 days, verbal memory again improv ed in five of six responders but not in any non-responder. No adverse drug effects occurred. Arecoline, and possibly other cholinergic agoni sts, can safely improve memory in Alzheimer's disease at doses much lo wer than previously studied.