This article is part of the supplement: International Society on Brain and Behaviour: 3rd International Congress on Brain and Behaviour .

Oral presentation

Nicotinic stimulation in two populations: aircraft pilots and dementia patients

Jerome Yesavage

Aging Clinical Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, CA, USA

corresponding author email

from International Society on Brain and Behaviour: 3rd International Congress on Brain and Behaviour
Thessaloniki, Greece. 28 November – 2 December 2007

Annals of General Psychiatry 2008, 7(Suppl 1):S76doi:10.1186/1744-859X-7-S1-S76

The electronic version of this abstract is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.annals-general-psychiatry.com/content/7/S1/S76

Published:

17 April 2008

© 2008 Yesavage; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Oral presentation

Our previous studies in a professional flight simulator have demonstrated a positive effect of nicotine on a complex cognitive task, flying an aircraft. This effect may be mediated by working memory or attentional processes, in addition to direct effects on sort-term and long-term memory. Similar data exist for galantamine's nicotinic effects in vivo and in vitro. In a similar manner to the effects of nicotine on aircraft pilots, galantamine's effects might lead to specific improvements attention, which is suggested by its having positive effects on severely affected Alzheimer's patients who memory function is virtually absent. Data also exist suggestion a neuroprotective effect of galantamine, however studies suggesting this effect have been limited to one year duration. Future studies of such compounds should focus on their effects on attention and neuroprotection longitudinally across all levels of Alzheimer's pathology.

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