Molecular model of Donepezil (Aricept). Carbon - Brown; Hydrogen - Green; Nitrogen - Blue; Oxygen - Pink. Donepezil (Aricept), is a centrally acting reversible acetyl cholinesterase inhibitor. Its main therapeutic use is in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease where it is used to increase cortical acetylcholine. Donepezil has been tested in other cognitive disorders including Lewy body dementia and vascular dementia, but it is not currently approved for these indications. Donepezil has also been studied in patients with mild cognitive impairment, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder, post-coronary bypass cognitive impairment, cognitive impairment associated with multiple sclerosis, and Down syndrome.