encephalitis

My relative has encephalitis one year ago. She has recovered but does not feel the same. She is experiencing short term memory loss and some confusion. She tries not to become too stressful and to rest when possible. The las mri she had was in march. Doctor says says she is improving, but based on whar criteria? Shouldn't there be more cognitive tests done? She was given prescriptions for Ariceipt and Nortriptyline. She is very upset as Aricept is associated with Alzheimers. And I did read one article posted 1997  re memory loss from encephalitis in a ten year old. Have there been  documented cases of success within the last ten years with ecephalitis and aricept?  
Thank you Marta

[Caliber2005]

Hi Marta,
How is your relative feeling now?
The acute encephalitis usually lasts from a few days to as long as 2 to 3 weeks, but recovery may be slow, with weeks or months required for the return of maximal recoupable function.
Decreasing antibody titer against the virus is one of the criteria for saying patient is doing well.
What are the improvements you have observed in him?
Aricept is a drug of choice to treat Alzheimer's, but its use is not restricted. It has been observed that Aricept improves cognition and function, which includes effects on memory and performing everyday tasks, hence it would have been prescribed. The effect of memory is exerted is through one such chemical is called acetylcholine. This chemical helps carry messages from nerve cell to nerve cell in the brain. Memory is loss by disrupting these messages between cells. It is thought that Aricept may help reduce the breakdown of this chemical.
Hope this helps.
Bye.