Can Pond Scum Punch Out Alzheimer?

In anarticle pointed to by Science Nerd Depot blog, we learn that Nostoc, a cyanobacterium found in pond scum, produces a potent cholinesterase inhibitor that might be useful in the fight against Alzheimer's.

Some of the neurons most damaged by Alzheimer's Disease (AD), are the acetyl choline fibers of the hippocampus and neocortex. This suggests that increasing brain levels of acetyl choline might mitigate some of the symptoms of AD.

Cholinesterase inhibitors are used routinely in anesthesia for reversing neuromuscular blockade, and in myesthenia gravis to improve muscle strength. Finding more selective inhibitors of cholinesterase that work mainly in the neocortex might be helpful in AD. Donepezil and Tacrine are used for this purpose with modest success in early and intermediate AD. More selective inhibitors might have fewer side effects and more potent main effects.

Alzheimer's is a major scourge of any nation where large numbers of people routinely survive into their late sixties and later. Evolution never really planned for that eventuality, and does not really care one way or the other. Those of us who wish to increase the average human lifespan appreciably must care about AD very much.