Overcoming inhibitions

Organophosphorus nerve agents and pesticides (Fig. 1) markedly increase the amount and duration of the action of acetylcholine at all of the synaptic sites where it acts, resulting in overstimulation of critical processes that can lead to incapacitation, muscle paralysis, and death. In a recent issue of PNAS, Albuquerque et al. (1) reported that a drug already in use for treating Alzheimer's disease provides remarkable protection against death and neuronal damage from exposure to some of the most potent nerve agents known.