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COPYRIGHT 2006 International Medical News Group
A new class of drugs under development for Alzheimer's disease has taken a cue from one of the world's oldest drugs--nicotine.
The highly selective nicotinic receptor agonists (NRAs) have the potential to mimic, and surpass, the cognition-enhancing effects of nicotine without its cardiovascular or addictive side effects. Tantalizing evidence suggests that the engineered molecules could provide a therapeutic one-two punch for Alzheimer's patients: immediate cognitive improvement and protection against the amyloid [beta] plaques and neurofibrillatory tangling that are the disease's hallmarks.
Alzheimer's brains show another distinct characteristic: a significant loss of cholinergic neurons and acetylcholine receptors, in addition to the hallmark plaques and tangles, said Dr. Marwan Sabbagh, a neurologist and director of the Sun Health Research Institute's Cleo Roberts Center for...
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