Donepezil (aricept) as a treatment for anorexia nervosa: a very feasible therapeutic possibility

Abstract

Anorexia nervosa is a serious, multifactorial disease, characterized by psychiatric and neurological disturbances, which would appear to be similar to the manifestations of dementia. Patients with anorexia nervosa present compromised affectivity, characterized by hypomanic, manic and depressive symptoms, and their cholinergic system is altered with a decrease in the release of acetylcholine. Donepezil is a drug that been proven to be effective in the treatment of dementia, including Alzheimer's; it has been used for affective disorders and its mechanism of action is to inhibit the acetylcholinesterase enzyme to increase acetylcholine. Therefore, donepezil could be effective in treating anorexia nervosa.

Keywords::

• anorexia nervosa
• cholinergic system
• dementia
• donepezil