Description

In developed countries neurological disorders are mos.I suffering problems. Among these the 1st neurological disorder was Alzheimer's Disease. It affects 17-25 million people worldwide, with an estimated four million in the US and an estimated 8,00,000 people in the U.K. The prevalence of dementia in people over the age of 65 is 5% and in people over 80, it is 20%. At present there is no blood test or radiological test to diagnosis Alzheimer's Disease. It is incurable. Various strategies have been investigated to cure AD, but the use of cholinesterase inhibitor drugs has been the most clinically successful. Scientists developed so many drugs which are helpful to increase memory, learning and intelligence because the major symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease were memory loss. The neurotransmitters like ACh, Dopamine, Norepinephrine, Serotonin etc., play major role in learning and memory so the drugs which are developed for increasing memory are mainly targeted to alter these neurotransmitters levels. Now-a-days, in the market so many memory enhancing drinks such as brain Speed Shake, brain Speed Smoothie, Mocha Focus Delight etc., and foods and drugs (nootropics) are available and these memory enhancing drinks are having structural similarities to anti alzheimer's drugs. People are very much fascinated to take these memory enhancing products to boost up their memory. This has given an idea to take up the present study.

In the present investigation, galantamine hydrobromide, one of the recently invented and mostly used memory enhancing drug has been chosen to study its prolonged effects on some selected physiological and biochemical parameters in the brain of albino mice. The first chapter deals with the determination of ED10 and also behavioural changes in mice on treatment with galantamine hydrobromide.

In the second chapter, the effects of galantamine hydrobromide on different brain areas of mice have been studied on the levels of monoamines and their allied enzyme systems. In the third chapter, changes in ATPase systems were compiled to see the interaction of galantamine hydrobromide with the energy synthesizing calibre of mice brain. In the fourth chapter, the Lipinski's rule of five to some selected drugs used to treat Alzheimer's disease was tested in order to know whether they obey all the conditions of Lipinski's rule of five.

The present study by itself is not an exhaustive one, as it only throws light on the possible effects of galantamine hydrobromide on all neurotransmitters such as i.e., adrenergic, noradrenergic, serotonergic and dopaminergic in different areas of mice brain which resulted in the overall perceptible changes in the behaviour of the animal. The study also highlights the inhibitory effects of galantamine hydrobromide on energy synthesis as well as utilization mechanisms of brain. It is also a preliminary work as much has to be done to arrive at more definite conclusions.

From the above analysis it is concluded that the intake of memory enhancing drinks which contain memory enhancing drugs for a short period has positive effect, but prolonged intake causes adverse effects. In view of these observations, it is not advisable to recommend these health drinks or drugs particularly to children.