Tetrahydroaminoacridine (THA) in Alzheimer's disease: An assessment of attentional and mnemonic function using CANTAB
B.J. Sahakian
Bok Engelsk 1993
| Utgitt | Copenhagen : Munksgaard , 1993
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| Omfang | 7 s. : ill.
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| Opplysninger | A placebo-controlled cross-over trial (n=89) investigated the use of a chronic dose of the cholinestrease inhibitor THA, as a treatment for dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT). Effects on both subjective clinical rating scale and objective computerized tests were assessed. In regard to the former, analysis of the three main clinical outcome measures showed statistically significant effects of the drug on the Mini-Mental State Examination(MMSE) and the Abbreviated Mental Test Score (AMTS), but not on the Activity of Daily Living scale (ADL). Using the objective computerized CANTAB tests, sensitive to specific aspects of memory and attention, evidence was found for improvements in attentionall function rather than memory, in patients with mild to moderate DAT.Although these improvements were significant, they were small and restricted to certain tests of attentional function. Nevertheless, they add to the growing body of evidence thet the cholinergic system is involved in the control of attentional processes; and are substantiated by the findings of a second study examining the efffects of an acute dose of nicotine on attentional and mnemonic performance in patients with DAT. This study found significant improvements in cognitive performance in patients receiving nicotine, in objective tests of attention but not of short-term memory. These data will clearly provide important comparative data for future investigations of putative cognitive enhancing drugs in DAT sufferers.
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| ISBN | 87-16- 15064-3
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