Efficacy of Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors on Cognitive Function in Alzheimer's Disease. Review of Reviews

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia over the age of 65. It is estimated that 115.4 million people will be affected by AD by 2050. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEI) are the only available and approved treatment for AD. The aim of the present study was to analyse the evidence on the efficacy of the AChEI in the treatment of cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. For that purpose, a review of review of the systematic reviews (SRs) on this topic was carried out by Web of Science, PubMed, and The Cochrane Library, among others, were searched until 24 September 2021. Thirteen of the 1773 articles evaluated the efficacy of AChEI on cognitive function and/or general condition and/or behavioural disturbances of patients with mild to moderate AD. Methodological quality and risk of bias were rated using the ROBIS scale. The quality of the identified studies was high for nine of them, unclear for two, and finally only in two of the 13 studies did we detect low quality. Overall, AChEI showed very low efficacy in improving cognition in patients with mild to moderate AD. Better results were obtained in improving global state, with donepezil being the most effective treatment. No improvements in behavioural disturbances were found. Few high-quality reviews provide clear evidence of the effects of AChEI on cognition, global change, behaviour, and mortality. The data suggest that AChEI stabilize or slow cognitive deterioration, improving global status. In addition, data indicate that the use of AChEI decreases mortality in patients with mild to moderate AD. However, there is no evidence that they improve patient behaviour. Donepezil is the best therapeutic alternative at a dose of 10 mg/day.

Automated summary

The study confirmed a low efficacy of AChEI in improving cognitive symptoms of patients with mild to moderate AD, especially in cognitive aspects. However, AChEI showed better effects in improving the global state, with donepezil being the most effective treatment. Nonetheless, there was no evidence of improvement in behavioral disturbances with the use of AChEI.