FOLK REMEDY MAY EASE ALZHEIMER'S EXTRACT OF CHINESE HERBAL PLANT APPEARS TO IMPROVE COGNITIVE FUNCTION.

Byline: Semhar Debessai

Staff Writer

'She's ambulatory and conversational," Robert Hooper says about his aging mother, Mary Hooper. "But she is in a gradual state of decline."

Mary, who will be 96 this year, is one of a reported 4.5million Americans suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

Without a cure, that number could more than triple to 16million by 2050, specialists say.

Despite the growing numbers, government funding for Alzheimer's research appears to be a low priority. In fact, an early 2006 budget from President George W. Bush proposed big cuts in federal spending for Alzheimer's research.

And Congress recently dropped the ball on the appropriation to fund research through the National Institute of Aging.

"It's not a top priority for the government," said Dr. Lon Schneider, a professor at USC whose research centers on the neuropsychopharmacology of aging.

With the future of federal support up in the air, organizations such as the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study have become instrumental in keeping the momentum of drug development going.

Indeed, Schneider is at the forefront of this movement, currently in PhaseII of clinical trials for HuperzineA, a longtime folk remedy that's showing promise.

Extracted from a Chinese herbal plant, HuperzineA is expected to manage symptoms associated with dementia.

"People would chew it to strengthen memory ... (and spark) arousal," Schneider said.

Not unlike the U.S.-approved drugs to treat Alzheimer's, including Aricept, Exelon and Razadyne, HuperzineA appears successful at improving cognitive function in individuals with the disease.

The difference, Schneider said, is that it is better-tolerated, with fewer side effects -- including less nausea and vomiting -- and as a result may have a stronger effect.

Robert Hooper enrolled his mother in the clinical trial at USC after three years of using other drugs on the market.

Because his mother's symptoms are not in extreme stages (she suffers from the "sundowner effect," which includes behavioral problems such as anxiety, agitation or delusions that emerge and become progressively worse through the evening hours), Hooper said the effects were subtle but detectable.

He described seeing "a little improvement" in his mother's behavior after a few months of HuperzineA treatment.

Schneider stresses that HuperzineA does not "alter the course of the illness" but makes improvements in memory.

Significant improvements, as in Mary Hooper's case, can be difficult to see, given the abbreviated length of the study (about four to five months).

But every advancement gives hope to those suffering from the disease and, probably more so, to the family members of those with dementia.

"Anything that helps people with dementia is a definite plus," said Hooper, who pays for a caregiver for his mother, who still lives at her home in Long Beach.

And as Schneider's work continues, more Alzheimer's patients are needed to determine HuperzineA's effect on the disease.

"We have approximately 100 to 200 (people enrolled in the trial)," Schneider said. "And (we're) still looking for many more."

To participate in the USC study, call [phone], or e-mail [e-mail].

Semhar Debessai, [phone]

[e-mail]

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Alzheimer's patient Mary Hooper, 95, participated in a USC study using a Chinese herb extract called Huperzine A. Her son, Robert Hooper, left, has seen "a little improvement" in his mother's behavior after a few months of treatment.

Diandra Jay/Press-Telegram