Objectives: Although many depressed patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) are treated with antidepressants, the effect of such treatment on cognitive performance in these patients is not known. The authors report cognitive outcomes in patients with depression of AD (dAD) after a 24-week trial of sertraline or placebo.; Design: Placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind trial.; Setting: Outpatient memory […]
Background: Research on efficacious treatments for apathy in Alzheimer disease has been hindered by a lack of consensus diagnosis, difficulties in measurement, and studies with small sample sizes.; Methods: In designing the Apathy in Dementia Methylphenidate Trial (ADMET), a trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of methylphenidate for the treatment of apathy in Alzheimer […]
Objective: To determine if the effect of sertraline in the depression in Alzheimer’s disease study – 2 (DIADS-2) differed in subgroups of patients defined by baseline depression criteria.; Methods: DIADS-2 was a randomized, parallel, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of sertraline (target dose of 100 mg/day) for the treatment of depression […]
Background: Depression and antidepressant use are common in Alzheimer disease (AD), but the effect of antidepressant treatment for depression on longer term outcomes is unknown. The authors report the Week-24 outcomes of patients who participated in a 12-week efficacy study of sertraline for depression of AD.; Methods: One hundred thirty-one participants (sertraline = 67, placebo […]
Objective: Depression is common in Alzheimer disease (AD), and antidepressants are commonly used for its treatment, however, evidence for antidepressant efficacy in this population is lacking. The authors conducted a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled trial titled “Depression in Alzheimer’s Disease-2” to assess the efficacy and tolerability of sertraline for depression in AD.; Methods: One hundred thirty-one […]
Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been associated with both oxidative stress and excessive glutamate activity. A clinical trial was designed to compare the effectiveness of (i) alpha-tocopherol, a vitamin E antioxidant; (ii) memantine (Namenda), an N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist; (iii) their combination; and (iv) placebo in delaying clinical progression in AD.; Methods: The Veterans Affairs Cooperative Studies […]
Objective: In a recent crossover trial, methylphenidate treatment decreased apathy in Alzheimer’s disease. We further assessed this finding in the Apathy in Dementia Methylphenidate Trial (ADMET). Method: Six-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trial enrolling Alzheimer’s disease participants (NINCDS-ADRDA criteria) with apathy assigned to methylphenidate 20 mg daily or placebo, conducted from June 2010 to December […]
Importance: Agitation is common, persistent, and associated with adverse consequences for patients with Alzheimer disease. Pharmacological treatment options, including antipsychotics are not satisfactory.; Objective: The primary objective was to evaluate the efficacy of citalopram for agitation in patients with Alzheimer disease. Key secondary objectives examined effects of citalopram on function, caregiver distress, safety, cognitive safety, […]
Background: Little is known about the effect of methylphenidate (MPH) on attention in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). MPH has shown to improve apathy in AD, and both apathy and attention have been related to dopaminergic function. The goal was to investigate MPH effects on attention in AD and assess the relationship between attention and apathy responses.; […]
Objective: We wanted to assess if sertraline treatment (versus placebo) or remission of depression at 12 weeks (versus nonremission) in Alzheimer patients is associated with improved caregiver well being.; Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of the efficacy and safety of sertraline for the treatment of depression in individuals with Alzheimer disease […]