BAX and Alzheimer disease: Further experiments revealed that Mep-S improved the survival of hippocampal neurons and increased Bcl-2 to Bax ratios (an antiapoptotic index) in the hippocampal and cortex regions of scopolamine-challenged mice, indicating that the effect of Mep-S on scopolamine-induced AD-like symptoms may be associated with its protection against neuronal apoptosis.