Treatment with the novel agent SGS742 and donepezil may help patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias retain memory function longer, according to an article in the June issue of Neuropsychopharmacology. SGS742 had previously been shown in clinical trials to have a benefit for patients with mild cognitive impairment.

In the current work, American researchers compared SGS742 with donepezil in rats that did not have memory impairment. The combination of SGS742 and donepezil improved memory to a larger degree than either drug alone, implying a potential for future combination therapy protocols.

The research team worked with 60 normal young male rats that were not memory-impaired. Each rat was given at various times SGS742, donepezil, a combination of the two drugs or no drugs at all, and was tested on skill navigating a series of mazes that placed increasing demands on memory.

Particularly interesting was the finding that rats given both drugs were able to both acquire and retain information more quickly and for a longer period of time than when they had not been treated.

“The findings in laboratory animals - both improved memory in our tests and evidence that the drug targets the biology for making memories in the brain - places this drug on solid footing as a candidate therapeutic agent,” said the study’s lead author, Michela Gallagher, PhD.

“Memory impairment occurs early in the disease and worsens as the disease progresses. However, until the later stages of the disease, memory is impaired but not entirely gone,”Gallagher said. “By augmenting the brain's memory-making ability, drugs could be used to treat this symptom and to improve the quality of life for patients who have a disease that has a slow progression over years.”

Researchers also analyzed the interaction of the compound with the biological mechanisms involved in the creation of long-term memory. They learned that SGS742 alters gene expression that is important for memory consolidation.