Phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors are currently under evaluation as agents that may facilitate the improvement of cognitive impairment associated with Alzheimer's disease. Our aim was to determine whether inhibitors of PDEs 4, 5 and 9 could alleviate the cytotoxic effects of amyloid beta 1-42 (Aβ1-42) via a mechanism involving the small heatshock protein HSP20. We show that inhibition of PDEs ...