Cerebral blood flow and cognitive responses to rivastigmine treatment in Alzheimer's disease.

Full Abstract

Twenty seven patients with mild AD were enrolled in a prospective open label controlled study of rivastigmine. Assessments included a range of neuropsychiatric and behavioural measures and rCBF using HMPAO SPECTat baseline, three and six months. Significant enhancement of frontal, parietal and temporal brain blood flow with related psychometric improvement was observed in twelve of the treated patients. A pattern of reduced rCBF and cognitive performance was observed in four unresponsive and eleven untreated patients. The results suggest that alterations in the clinical and cognitive status of patients receiving a cholinesterase inhibitor are paralleled by changes in rCBF. Longitudinal assessment with repeated imaging offers a method of better understanding the effects of cholinesterase inhibition on the AD brain.

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Author information

Author/s: Vennerica, Annalena (A); Shanks, Michael F (MF); Staff, Roger T (RT); Pestell, Simon J (SJ); Forbes, Katrina E (KE); Gemmell, Howard G (HG); Murray, Alison D (AD);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, UK.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Clinical Trial; Controlled Clinical Trial; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Neuroreport (Neuroreport), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-Jan; vol 13 (issue 1) : pp 83-7

Dates: Created 2002/04/01; Completed 2002/07/18; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 11924899, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Aged
Alzheimer Disease - drug therapy; physiopathology; psychology
Carbamates - therapeutic use
Cerebrovascular Circulation - drug effects
Cholinesterase Inhibitors - therapeutic use
Cluster Analysis
Cognition - drug effects
Female
Humans

Longitudinal Studies
Male
Neuropsychological Tests
Phenylcarbamates
Prospective Studies
Radiopharmaceuticals - diagnostic use
Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime - diagnostic use
Time Factors
Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

Associated Chemicals: Carbamates (0) ; Cholinesterase Inhibitors (0) ; Phenylcarbamates (0) ; Radiopharmaceuticals (0) ; Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime (100504-35-6) ; rivastigmine (123441-03-2)

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