Huperzine A: A promising anticonvulsant, disease modifying, and memory enhancing treatment option in Alzheimer's disease

- Alzheimer's disease is a risk factor for epilepsy.
- Conventional antiepileptic drugs may exacerbate cognitive disability in AD.
- HupA is a safe AChE inhibitor with antiepileptic potential in preclinical studies.
- HupA has acute anti-seizure activity via increasing GABAergic signaling.
- HupA may improve cortical excitation:inhibition ratio by modulating TNF-α and IL-1β.
- Therapeutic HupA effects in AD may include mediating Aβ deposition, NPY-NGF cells and NL1.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most frequent cause of dementia. Besides cognitive deterioration, patients with AD are prone to seizures - more than 20% of patients diagnosed with AD experience at least one unprovoked seizure and up to 7% have recurrent seizures. Although available antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) may suppress seizures in patients with AD, they may also worsen cognitive dysfunction and increase the risk of falls. On the basis of preclinical studies, we hypothesize that Huperzine A (HupA), a safe and potent acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor with potentially disease-modifying qualities in AD, may have a realistic role as an anticonvulsant in AD.

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