Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled multicenter trial of Yokukansan for neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer's disease.

AIM: Yokukansan (YKS), a traditional herbal medicine, has been used to treat behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). The present study is the first double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to determine the efficacy and safety of YKS for the treatment of BPSD in Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: A total of 22 sites consisting of clinics, hospitals and nursing homes participated. A total of 145 patients with AD were randomized. Active YKS (7.5 g/day) and placebo were supplied to 75 and 70 participants, respectively. The primary outcome measure was the 4-week change in total score of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Brief Questionnaire Form (NPI-Q), an instrument that evaluates BPSD. Secondary outcome measures included 12-week changes in NPI-Q scores, changes in NPI-Q subcategory scores and total scores of the Mini-Mental-State Examination. RESULTS: Four-week changes in NPI-Q total scores did not differ significantly between the treatment and placebo groups. There were also no significant differences between groups in 12-week changes in total NPI-Q scores, NPI-Q subcategory scores or total Mini-Mental-State Examination scores. However, a subgroup with fewer than 20 points on the Mini-Mental-State Examination at baseline showed a greater decrease in "agitation/aggression" score in the YKS group than in the placebo group (P = 0.007). No serious adverse effects were observed during the study. CONCLUSIONS: Our data did not reach statistical significance regarding the efficacy of YKS against BPSD; however, YKS improves some symptoms including "agitation/aggression" and "hallucinations" with low frequencies of adverse events. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 211-218.

Effects of Yokukansan on behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia in regular treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

Yokukansan (YKS) is used frequently against behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) together with donepezil in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we investigated the efficacy and safety of YKS in patients with AD in a non-blinded, randomized, parallel-group comparison study. Patients who had at least one symptom score of four or more on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) subscales were enrolled in the study. The subjects were randomly assigned to the YKS-treated group (YKS/donepezil combination therapy group) and the non-YKS-treated group (donepezil monotherapy group). TSUMURA Yokukansan (TJ-54, 7.5g, t.i.d.) was administered in a four-week study treatment period. The subjects were evaluated twice at the start (Week 0) and completion (Week 4) of the study treatment in terms of NPI, Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), Disability Assessment for Dementia (DAD), Zarit Burden Interview, and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS). The efficacy analysis was performed in 29 patients (YKS-treated group) and 32 patients (non-YKS-treated group). The NPI total score improved significantly more in the YKS-treated group than in the non-YKS-treated group. In the NPI subscales of agitation/aggression and irritability/lability, the YKS-treated group showed significantly greater improvement than the non-YKS-treated group, but no statistically significant improvement was seen with YKS in the other subscales. There were no significant differences between the YKS-treated group and the non-YKS-treated group in MMSE, DAD, Zarit Burden Interview and SDS. No adverse reactions were noted in either group. The results of this study showed that YKS is safe and effective in the treatment of BPSD in AD patients.

Treatment of behavioral and psychological symptoms of Alzheimer-type dementia with Yokukansan in clinical practice.

The efficacy and safety of the kampo medicine Yokukansan (YKS, TJ-54) in the treatment of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) were investigated in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in an open-label study. This study included 26 patients who had been diagnosed as having AD and were not treated with donepezil hydrochloride. These patients were administered YKS (7.5g/day) for four weeks to investigate the changes in neuropsychological test results and care burden in the period from the start to completion of the study treatment. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) was used for evaluation of BPSD, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) for evaluation of cognitive functions, the Zarit burden interview for evaluation of the caregiver's burden, Disability Assessment of Dementia (DAD) for evaluation of activities of daily living (ADL) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) for evaluation of the caregiver's depression. No significant change was seen in MMSE and DAD after four weeks of treatment, but the mean NPI total score decreased significantly. Furthermore, among the NPI subscales, a statistically significant decrease in score was not seen, however, a clinically significant decrease was seen in terms of hallucinations, agitation, anxiety, irritability or abnormal behavior. No significant changes were seen in caregiver's burden after four weeks of treatment. No serious adverse reactions to YKS were observed. The results of this study suggested that YKS may be an effective and well-tolerated drug in the treatment of BPSD in AD patients.