A 70-year-old man is brought to the physician by his daughter for evaluation of increasing forgetfulness during the past few months. The daughter reports that he has had difficulty remembering names of the people he meets and frequently misplaces household item. He also recently got lost while walking home from the grocery store. He has also been more irritable recently. On physical examination, the patient is alert and cooperative but disoriented to time and can recall only 1 of 3 items on a short-term memory test. MRI of the head reveals diffuse cortical atrophy. A medication with which of the following effects would be most beneficial for this patient?

Question

A 70-year-old man is brought to the physician by his daughter for evaluation of increasing forgetfulness during the past few months. The daughter reports that he has had difficulty remembering names of the people he meets and frequently misplaces household item. He also recently got lost while walking home from the grocery store. He has also been more irritable recently.   On physical examination, the patient is alert and cooperative but disoriented to time and can recall only 1 of 3 items on a short-term memory test.  MRI of the head reveals diffuse cortical atrophy.  A medication with which of the following effects would be most beneficial for this patient?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: Alzheimer disease (AD) is a progressive dementia featuring diffuse cortical atrophy involving loss of cholinergic neurons.  Memory, cognitive, and functional impairments of AD are partially mediated by insufficient cholinergic output.  Cholinesterase inhibitors (eg, donepezil) enhance cholinergic neurotransmission to compensate for this defect.

A 70-Year-Old Man Is Brought to the Physician by His