HOW ARICEPT Is Thought to Work
In the Brain
When someone has Alzheimer's disease, nerve cells and vital chemicals in the brain are lost over time. This occurs in parts of the brain that are key to memory and other mental processes. One such chemical is called acetylcholine. This chemical helps carry messages from nerve cell to nerve cell in the brain. Alzheimer's may impair thinking and memory by disrupting these messages between cells.
It is thought that ARICEPT may help reduce the breakdown of acetylcholine, allowing more of this important chemical to remain in the brain.