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Chronic divalproex sodium to attenuate agitation and clinical progression of Alzheimer disease.

ABSTRACT: CONTEXT:Agitation and psychosis are common in Alzheimer disease and cause considerable morbidity. We attempted to delay or to prevent agitation and psychosis with the use of divalproex sodium (valproate). OBJECTIVE:To determine whether treatment with valproate could delay or prevent emergence of agitation or psychosis. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS:A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of flexible-dose valproate in 313 (of 513 screened) individuals with moderate Alzheimer disease who had not yet experienced agitation or psychosis. The study was conducted from November 1, 2005, through March 31, 2009, at 46 sites in the United States. INTERVENTION:Participants were randomly assigned to valproate treatment at a target dose of 10 to 12 mg per kilogram of body weight per day or identical-appearing placebo for 24 months followed by a 2-month period of single-blind placebo treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE:Time to emergence of clinically significant agitation or psychosis. RESULTS:A total of 122 participants (59 receiving valproate and 63 receiving placebo) completed 24 months of treatment while taking study medication; 42 (27 receiving valproate and 15 receiving placebo) reached 24 months having discontinued study medication; 150 reached month 26. There was no difference between groups in time to emergence of agitation or psychosis (Cox proportional hazard ratio, 0.96; P = .88). There was no difference between groups in change on any secondary outcome. The valproate group had higher rates of somnolence, gait disturbance, tremor, diarrhea, and weakness. Eighty-eight participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging scans at baseline and 12 months; the valproate group showed greater loss in hippocampal and whole-brain volume, accompanied by greater ventricular expansion (P < .001). CONCLUSION:Valproate treatment did not delay emergence of agitation or psychosis or slow cognitive or functional decline in patients with moderate Alzheimer disease and was associated with significant toxic effects.

SUBMITTER: Tariot PN

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7003728 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Chronic divalproex sodium to attenuate agitation and clinical progression of Alzheimer disease.

Tariot Pierre N PN Schneider Lon S LS Cummings Jeffrey J Thomas Ronald G RG Raman Rema R Jakimovich Laura J LJ Loy Rebekah R Bartocci Barbara B Fleisher Adam A Ismail M Saleem MS Porsteinsson Anton A Weiner Michael M Jack Clifford R CR Thal Leon L Aisen Paul S PS

Archives of general psychiatry 20110801 8

<h4>Context</h4>Agitation and psychosis are common in Alzheimer disease and cause considerable morbidity. We attempted to delay or to prevent agitation and psychosis with the use of divalproex sodium (valproate).<h4>Objective</h4>To determine whether treatment with valproate could delay or prevent emergence of agitation or psychosis.<h4>Design, setting, and patients</h4>A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of flexible-dose valproate in 313 (of 513 screened) individua ...[more]

PMID: 21810649

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Project description:Agitation is common, persistent, and associated with adverse consequences for patients with Alzheimer disease. Pharmacological treatment options, including antipsychotics are not satisfactory.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, and tolerability.The Citalopram for Agitation in Alzheimer Disease Study (CitAD) was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel group trial that enrolled 186 patients with probable Alzheimer disease and clinically significant agitation from 8 academic centers in the United States and Canada from August 2009 to January 2013.Participants (n?=?186) were randomized to receive a psychosocial intervention plus either citalopram (n?=?94) or placebo (n?=?92) for 9 weeks. Dosage began at 10 mg per day with planned titration to 30 mg per day over 3 weeks based on response and tolerability.Primary outcome measures were based on scores from the 18-point Neurobehavioral Rating Scale agitation subscale (NBRS-A) and the modified Alzheimer Disease Cooperative Study-Clinical Global Impression of Change (mADCS-CGIC). Other outcomes were based on scores from the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI) and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), ability to complete activities of daily living (ADLs), caregiver distress, cognitive safety (based on scores from the 30-point Mini Mental State Examination [MMSE]), and adverse events.Participants who received citalopram showed significant improvement compared with those who received placebo on both primary outcome measures. The NBRS-A estimated treatment difference at week 9 (citalopram minus placebo) was -0.93 (95% CI, -1.80 to -0.06), P?=?.04. Results from the mADCS-CGIC showed 40% of citalopram participants having moderate or marked improvement from baseline compared with 26% of placebo recipients, with estimated treatment effect (odds ratio [OR] of being at or better than a given CGIC category) of 2.13 (95% CI, 1.23-3.69), P?=?.01. Participants who received citalopram showed significant improvement on the CMAI, total NPI, and caregiver distress scores but not on the NPI agitation subscale, ADLs, or in less use of rescue lorazepam. Worsening of cognition (-1.05 points; 95% CI, -1.97 to -0.13; P?=?.03) and QT interval prolongation (18.1 ms; 95% CI, 6.1-30.1; P?=?.01) were seen in the citalopram group.Among patients with probable Alzheimer disease and agitation who were receiving psychosocial intervention, the addition of citalopram compared with placebo significantly reduced agitation and caregiver distress; however, cognitive and cardiac adverse effects of citalopram may limit its practical application at the dosage of 30 mg per day.clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00898807.

Project description:ImportanceAgitation is a prevalent, distressing, and burdensome manifestation of Alzheimer dementia in need of an efficacious, safe, and well-tolerated treatment.ObjectiveTo confirm the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of brexpiprazole in patients with agitation in Alzheimer dementia.Design, setting, and participantsThis randomized clinical trial was a 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, fixed-dose, parallel-arm trial that ran from May 2018 to June 2022 at 123 clinical trial sites in Europe and the United States. Participants included patients with agitation in Alzheimer dementia in a care facility or community-based setting. Stable Alzheimer disease medications were permitted.InterventionsIn this 2-arm trial, patients were randomized to receive oral brexpiprazole or placebo (2:1 ratio) for 12 weeks. Within the brexpiprazole arm, patients were further randomized to receive fixed doses of 2 mg/d or 3 mg/d in a 1:2 ratio.Main outcomes and measuresThe primary end point was change in Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory total score (which measures the frequency of 29 agitated behaviors) from baseline to week 12 for brexpiprazole, 2 or 3 mg, vs placebo. Safety was assessed by standard measures, including treatment-emergent adverse events.ResultsA total of 345 patients were randomized to receive brexpiprazole (n = 228) or placebo (n = 117); completion rates were 198 (86.8%) for brexpiprazole and 104 (88.9%) for placebo. Mean (SD) age was 74.0 (7.5) years, and 195 of 345 patients were female (56.5%). Patients receiving brexpiprazole, 2 or 3 mg (n = 225), demonstrated statistically significantly greater improvement than those taking placebo (n = 116) in Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory total score from baseline to week 12 (brexpiprazole baseline, 80.6, mean change, -22.6; placebo baseline, 79.2, mean change, -17.3; least-squares mean difference, -5.32; 95% CI, -8.77 to -1.87; P = .003; Cohen d effect size, 0.35). No treatment-emergent adverse events had an incidence of 5% or more with brexpiprazole and greater incidence than placebo. The proportion of patients who discontinued because of adverse events was 12 of 226 (5.3%) for brexpiprazole and 5 of 116 (4.3%) for placebo.Conclusions and relevanceIn this study, patients with Alzheimer dementia who took brexpiprazole, 2 or 3 mg, showed a statistically significant improvement vs placebo in agitation over 12 weeks. Brexpiprazole was generally well tolerated over 12 weeks in this vulnerable patient population.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03548584.

Project description:OBJECTIVE:To investigate the relationship between cognitive reserve (CR) and clinical progression across the Alzheimer disease (AD) spectrum. METHODS:We selected 839 β-amyloid (Aβ)-positive participants with normal cognition (NC, n = 175), mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n = 437), or AD dementia (n = 227) from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). CR was quantified using standardized residuals (W scores) from a (covariate-adjusted) linear regression with global cognition (13-item Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale) as an independent variable of interest, and either gray matter volumes or white matter hyperintensity volume as dependent variables. These W scores, reflecting whether an individual's degree of cerebral damage is lower or higher than clinically expected, were tested as predictors of diagnostic conversion (i.e., NC to MCI/AD dementia, or MCI to AD dementia) and longitudinal changes in memory (ADNI-MEM) and executive functions (ADNI-EF). RESULTS:The median follow-up period was 24 months (interquartile range 6-42). Corrected for age, sex, APOE4 status, and baseline cerebral damage, higher gray matter volume-based W scores (i.e., greater CR) were associated with a lower diagnostic conversion risk (hazard ratio [HR] 0.22, p < 0.001) and slower decline in memory (β = 0.48, p < 0.001) and executive function (β = 0.67, p < 0.001). Stratified by disease stage, we found similar results for NC (diagnostic conversion: HR 0.30, p = 0.038; ADNI-MEM: β = 0.52, p = 0.028; ADNI-EF: β = 0.42, p = 0.077) and MCI (diagnostic conversion: HR 0.21, p < 0.001; ADNI-MEM: β = 0.43, p = 0.003; ADNI-EF: β = 0.59, p < 0.001), but opposite findings (i.e., more rapid decline) for AD dementia (ADNI-MEM: β = -0.91, p = 0.002; ADNI-EF: β = -0.77, p = 0.081). CONCLUSIONS:Among Aβ-positive individuals, greater CR related to attenuated clinical progression in predementia stages of AD, but accelerated cognitive decline after the onset of dementia.

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Chronic divalproex sodium to attenuate agitation and clinical progression of Alzheimer disease.

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Chronic divalproex sodium to attenuate agitation and clinical progression of Alzheimer disease.

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