Certain substituted 1-aryl-3-morpholinopropanones to treat Alzheimer's Disease

A method of preventing Alzheimer's Disease in a patient in need of such treatment comprising administering to the patient an amount effective to inhibit formation of abnormal phosphorylated paired helical filament epitopes of a compound of the formula:

• ##STR24## or the pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof wherein X represents oxygen, sulfur or NR;
• wherein R is selected from hydrogen, lower alkyl and CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 COAr.sub.1 ;
• Z is hydrogen;
• straight or branched chain alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms;
• R.sub.24 is hydrogen;
• lower alkyl, or optionally substituted phenyl;
• each R.sub.10 independently represents hydrogen or lower alkyl;
• and
• Ar.sub.1 is a group of the formula:
• ##STR25## wherein R.sub.1, R.sub.2, and R.sub.3 independently represent hydrogen, halogen, nitro, cyano, alkoxy, phenoxy, benzoyloxy, benzyloxy, alkylsulfonylamino, trifluoromethyl, trifluoromethoxy, thioloweralkoxy, thienyl, furyl, methylsulfinyl, phenyl, lower alkyl;
• or
• Ar.sub.1 is a group of the formula:
• ##STR26## wherein Y is Oxygen or sulfur
• Z.sub.1 is oxygen or methylene
• R.sub.4 and R.sub.5 are independently selected from hydrogen, halogen, lower alkoxy, hydroxy;
• and
• R.sub.6, R.sub.7, R.sub.8, and R.sub.9 are independently selected from hydrogen, halogen, nitro, cyano, lower alkyl, phenyl, optionally substituted phenyl, thienyl or optionally substituted thienyl.