Other Conventional Treatments

Ampakines

Ampakines are a new class of drugs that improve memory. According to researcher Gary Lynch of the University of California-Irvine, who has studied ampakines since 1991, they increase activity in the brain's cortex.



Lynch and Gary Rogers, head of drug development at Cortex Pharmaceuticals in Southern California, have developed an ampakine drug, Ampalex, that increases levels of a specific neurotransmitter in the brain, AMPA-glutamate. In a recent 16-day animal study, animals not taking Ampalex scored 50% on a variety of memory tests, while those taking the drug scored 85%.



In humans, Ampalex has been tested in Germany and Sweden on 54 people, age 21 to 73, with normal brain function. Compared with those not taking the drug, those using Amaplex scored twice as well on short-term memory tests.

Calcium-channel blockers

As nerve cells die, they lose the ability to regulate the flow of calcium across their cell membranes. Some researchers speculate that calcium channel blockers -- drugs that affect this mineral's flow in and out of cells -- may prolong nerve cell life.

Nerve growth factor

This hormone stimulates the growth of the nerve cells that release acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter that declines in people with Alzheimer's disease. Some researchers believe that by introducing nerve growth factor or a similar compound into the brains of people with early Alzheimer's, they may be able to slow or reverse cognitive deterioration. Unfortunately, nerve growth factor does not cross the blood-brain barrier, so the hormone cannot be given orally or by injection.

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