Vitamin E, Aricept Cocktail, Model of Alzheimer's Enzyme, Reminyl Requires Less Caregiver Time Oct. 28, 2003 - There seems to be a flurry of encouraging news about the treatment of Alzheimer's. Here are three stories from today.Patients treated with the prescription combination scored better on mental exams, showing less mental decline than the group that did not get the cocktail, according to the study. Patients were given a minimum of 670 mg of vitamin E combined with a normal dosage of Aricept. Although the study was promising, researchers still have many questions to answer before they know if the combination will benefit every patient. To further investigate the complex organization and function of the enzyme, the researchers examined the effects of presenilin mutations found in people who develop the early, genetically linked form of Alzheimer's disease. They reintroduced mutated presenilin proteins from Alzheimer's disease patients to cultured cells missing both presenilin molecules. The mutant proteins failed to completely restore gamma-secretase activity, but the cells still produced ABeta42, the product of APP cleavage that accumulates to form brain plaques. In fact, some even resulted in production of more ABeta42 than when only normal presenilin molecules were present.
