Effects of cholinergic enhancement therapies on memory function in Alzheimer's disease: a meta-analysis of the literature.

A quantitative analysis of the literature on cholinergic enhancement of memory function in Alzheimer's disease showed that such therapies do have an effect if dosages are individualised. Treatments that combine a precursor with an anticholinesterase, however, appear to be the most promising for clinically useful results. The number of studies that have evaluated this combination treatment is small, but the present analysis indicates that further clinical trials would be most worthwhile.