A new study reveals that both green and black tea have the ability to inhibit the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE). This enzyme is important, because it breaks down the acetylcholine, a key neurotransmitter in the brain.

Why is this relevant? It turns out the main prescription drugs which are used to improve memory and cognition (while treating dementias like Alzheimer’s disease) operate via the same exact mechanism.

Additionally, the study found that both green and black tea also inhibits the enzyme butyrlcholinesterase (BuChE), another important enzyme involved in acetylcholine metabolism. The pharmaceutical reps who push the prescription drug Exelon (generic name: Rivastigmine- also used to treat memory loss) like to tout this mechanism of their drug too.

Interestingly, the study further noted that:

Green tea went one step further in that it obstructed the activity of beta-secretase, which plays a role in the production of protein deposits in the brain which are associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists also found that it continued to have its inhibitive effect for a week, whereas black tea’s enzyme-inhibiting properties lasted for only one day (from www.50connect.co.uk)

The above study was done by lead researcher Dr. Ed Okella out of the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, and published in the journal Phytotherapy Research

An earlier post I made discussed research about the catechins in tea as being brain protective in that they strongly block the death of brain cells. (Please see “Tea is Brain Protective“)

You may also want to read another related post “Green Tea Keeps Brain Sharp” which describes tea’s beneficial cognitive effect on 1,003 Japanese adults.

Chinese club moss also boosts acetylcholine in the brain by inhibiting enzymes that break it down.

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Just read how in the UK, drugs like Aricpet, Exelon, and Reminyl are no longer available as treatment for mild cases of Alzheimer’s disease.

They are felt to offer too little benefit compared to their expense.

I believe this offers a taste of things to come in the US, as healthcare funds become more and more scarce.

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Have been reading lately about a substance derived from the Chinese club moss: Huperzia serrata- Huperzine A.

For many years, this compound has been used in China to treat patients with memory decline and Alzheimer’s disease.

Huperzine A appears be the natural equivalent of the prescription Alzheimer drugs Aricept, Exelon, and Razadyne. It is similar in that it boosts the presence of acetylcholine in the brain. Amazingly, Huperzine A may be more effective and better tolerated, and since it is a natural compound may also be thousands of dollars cheaper.

Even more amazing, however, is that Huperzine A may also have additional unique effects that could slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (at least according to Dr. Paul Aisen, the neurologist who is leading the new study at Georgetown University Medical Center).

Although it is currently being studied in the U.S. in a phase II trial, you can easily find it for purchase in your local Natural Food Market.

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A recent study out of the New York University School of Medicine reveals that the drug Exelon (Rivastigmine) can improve memory in patients who have moderate-to-severe memory loss from traumatic brain injury.

Specifically, improvements were seen in measures of verbal memory and visual processing tasks.

Exelon is normally a drug used to treat memory impairment in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Its mechanism of action is similar to Aricept (Donezepil) and Razadyne (Galantamine) in that it is thought to enhance cholinergic function in the brain.

The study, however, did not seem to support the effectiveness of Rivastigmine in patients with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI).

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Came across a study published in the September 2006 issue of the European Journal of Neurology that compares Ginkgo Biloba to Aricept in the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease.

Aricept is a cholinesterase inhibitor- it boosts the amount of acetylcholine available in the brain for nerve cell communication. Reminyl and Exelon are also used to treat Alzheimer’s disease, and work in a similar fashion

There aren’t many studies that compare the two head to head, but this one shows Ginkgo Biloba is clinically as effective as Aricept.

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