Final answer:
Anticholinergics are contraindicated in Alzheimer's disease because they can exacerbate cognitive symptoms by further reducing cholinergic activity. Treatments often aim to increase acetylcholine neurotransmission with drugs like donepezil, rivastigmine, or galantamine.
Step-by-step explanation:
The drug class that is contraindicated in Alzheimer's disease is anticholinergics. Alzheimer's treatments often involve increasing acetylcholine neurotransmission because there's a decrease in activity of cholinergic neurons in individuals with the disease. Since anticholinergic drugs block the action of acetylcholine, they can worsen the cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer's by further reducing cholinergic activity.
Current Alzheimer's treatments can include cholinesterase inhibitors like donepezil, rivastigmine, or galantamine, which aim to enhance cholinergic function by preventing the breakdown of acetylcholine, thereby compensating for the loss of functioning cholinergic neurons to some extent.
Therefore, while enhancing cholinergic activity is a therapeutic goal in Alzheimer's disease, drugs that inhibit this system, such as anticholinergics, are typically avoided as they could exacerbate cognitive decline.