Methylphenidate for apathy and functional status in dementia of the Alzheimer type.
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry
; 18(4): 371-4, 2010 Apr.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-20220576
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
Apathy is the most common behavioral problem in persons with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT). Treatment of apathy in DAT is not systematically studied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the response of apathy to methylphenidate treatment and to examine whether functional status improved.METHODS:
The authors conducted a 12-week open-labeled study with immediate release formulation of methylphenidate. Twenty-three patients with DAT scoring >40 on the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES) were recruited. Repeated measures analysis of variance and correlation analysis were performed.RESULTS:
None of the patients dropped out of the study because of adverse events. Significant improvement in apathy was noted during 12 weeks. Significant improvement was also noted in depression, Mini-Mental State Examination score, and functional status. There was no correlation between changes in the AES and depression scores.CONCLUSIONS:
Methylphenidate was well tolerated in these patients with DAT. Apathy improved with the use of methylphenidate.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Depression
/
Alzheimer Disease
/
Central Nervous System Stimulants
/
Methylphenidate
/
Motivation
Limits:
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
En
Journal:
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry
Journal subject:
GERIATRIA
/
PSIQUIATRIA
Year:
2010
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States
Publication country:
ENGLAND
/
ESCOCIA
/
GB
/
GREAT BRITAIN
/
INGLATERRA
/
REINO UNIDO
/
SCOTLAND
/
UK
/
UNITED KINGDOM