Cholinesterase inhibitors would be expected to be most effective in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) because:

a) Receptors become desensitized to the effects of acetylcholine over time
b) Acetylcholine produced in the nucleus basalis of Meynert in advanced AD is structurally compromised and will not bind with postsynaptic acetylcholine receptors regardless of the amount of acetylcholine present
c) Degeneration of neurons with postsynaptic acetylcholine receptors results in less effectiveness of the increased acetylcholine
d) All of the above