PURPOSE Alzheimer s disease is characterized by a dysfunction of central cholinergic systems and is treated by inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). This study tests the effect of two AChE inhibitors in therapeutic use, rivastigmine and donepezil, in mice that are devoid of AChE (AChE-/- mice). Rivastigmine is an inhibitor of both AChE and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) whereas donepezil is ...

Hypertrichosis is the excessive hair growth in any area of the skin surface. Acquired localized hypertrichosis may be secondary to multiple causes and there is a secondary form due to several drugs, which is usually reversible with discontinuation of the causative agent. Rivastigmine is a reversible and competitive inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase used for symptomatic...

OBJECTIVE Evaluate safety and tolerability of switching from donepezil to rivastigmine transdermal patch in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. METHODS Prospective, parallel-group, open-label study to evaluate immediate or delayed switch from 5-10 mg/day donepezil to 4.6 mg/24 h rivastigmine following a 4-week treatment period. RESULTS Rates of discontinuation due to any rea...

BACKGROUND Falls are a frequent and serious complication of Parkinson's disease and are related partly to an underlying cholinergic deficit that contributes to gait and cognitive dysfunction in these patients. Gait dysfunction can lead to an increased variability of gait from one step to another, raising the likelihood of falls. In the ReSPonD trial we aimed to assess whether ameliorating this ...

A simple and reproducible HPLC method with spectrophotometric detection was developed for determination of rivastigmine in human plasma. Liquid-liquid extraction of rivastigmine and donepezil (as internal standard) from plasma samples was performed with 1-butanol/n-hexane (2:98 v/v) in alkaline condition followed by back-extraction into diluted acetic acid. Chromatography was carried out using ...

BACKGROUND Vascular risk factors (VRF) may influence response to rivastigmine in Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS AD patients who participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of rivastigmine patch and capsule treatment were stratified by baseline VRF status. Treatment response was evaluated using the AD Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog), AD Cooperative St...

SIR—Antipsychotics are the cornerstone of pharmacological treatment of delirium [1]. In case reports, cholinesterase inhibitors can improve (Wengel 1998 [2]), reverse (Fisher 2001 [3]) and prevent (Dautzenberg 2003 [4]) delirium. The question remains whether, in the case of ineffectiveness of antipsychotics, cholinesterase inhibitors can be used in the treatment of a chronic delirium. We presen...

Three new cholinesterase inhibitors, donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine, all inhibit the enzyme AChE. Rivastigmine also inhibits BuChE, which could lead to additional benefits in late-stage Alzheimer's disease, but also cause more GI side effects at initiation of therapy. Galantamine is also an allosteric modulator of nicotinic receptors, which could lead to additional efficacy for attent...

A simple and reproducible HPLC method with spectrophotometric detection was developed for determination of rivastigmine in human plasma. Liquid-liquid extraction of rivastigmine and donepezil (as internal standard) from plasma samples was performed with 1-butanol/n-hexane (2:98 v/v) in alkaline condition followed by back-extraction into diluted acetic acid. Chromatography was carried out using ...