Galantamine for dementia in people with Down syndrome Audio summaries | Evidence Aid summaries | Cochrane Methodology abstracts The drug galantamine has been reported to have benefits for people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease who do not have Down syndrome. However, people with DS tend to present with AD at a much younger age than the general population as well as being physically different in terms of size, metabolism and heart rate, and may therefore have different requirements. This review identified no randomised controlled trials of galantamine in people with Down syndrome. Further research is needed.Alzheimer's dementia (AD) is the most common form of dementia in people with Down Syndrome (DS). Acetylcholine is a chemical found in the brain that has an important role in memory, attention, reason and language. Galantamine both inhibits the activity of acetylcholinesterase and increases the level of acetylcholine. Galantamine can improve cognitive function and slow the decline of AD in the general population over time. It is important to note that people with DS tend to present with AD at a much younger age than the normal population as well as having subtle differences in physiology (e.g. metabolism and heart rate) and may therefore have different requirements from the general population.
