The efficacy of donepezil for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease

![CDATA[Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that involves several pathological changes such as amyloid plaque accumulation, cognitive decline, neurofibrillary tangles, and secondary inflammation (Alzheimer's Association, 2018). In AD, these abnormal neurological symptoms are incredibly severe and progressively worsen to the point of death. Consequentially, there is a critical need for interventions that can treat the progressive symptoms of AD. The most common type of drugs used to treat the symptoms of AD is cholinesterase inhibitors (Singh & Sadiq, 2020). Cholinesterase inhibitors work by regulating the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is often depleted during AD. By maintaining cholinergic function, cholinesterase inhibitors are thought to be protective against, and slow, some of the symptoms of AD. Accordingly, the literature suggests that the administration of cholinesterase inhibitors could treat some of the progressive symptoms of AD (e.g., cognitive decline) (Zemek et al., 2014; Zhang, Yu, Want, & Zheng, 2020).]]