Table 2. Therapeutic use of Stimulants in elderly patients with dementia.
| Author/Year | Design of Study | Drug | Therapeutic Use | Instrument Tool | Main Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Igor Galynker, 1996 | Open Label Clinical Trial (N= 27) |
Methylphenidate (ranging from 10 to 20 mg/day) | Negative Symptoms in Patients With Dementia | SANS, PANSS-N, HAM-D, MMSE, CGI | Negative symptoms in Alzheimers and Vascular type of dementia improved with methylphenidate. |
| Goforth, 2004 | Case Report | Methylphenidate (18mg/day) | Frontotemporal Dementia | QEEG and SPECT correlated with clinical findings | Personality went better to a near premorbid state. His mood and affect improved and impulsivity decreased with methylphenidate sutained release. |
| Herrmann, 2008 | 4 weeks crossover trial (N=25) | Methylphenidate (10 mg per day for 3 days and 20 mg per day for 11 days) | Apathy in Alzheimer Disease | MMSE, NPI, AES, Computerized behavioral tasks, CGI | Patients were allocated in 2 weeks of methylphenidate or placebo and the crossed over for more 2 weeks of study. According AES, most of the participants manifested improvement with methylphenidate compared with placebo. |
| Padala, 2010 | 12 weeks open label clinical trial (N=23) | Methylphenidate (10mg/day) | Improve Apathy and Functional Status in dementia of the Alzheimer Type | AES, GDS, MMSE, ADL, IADL, CGI-S, CGI-I | All patients were on methylphenidate. Improvement in apathy, depression, MMSE score, and functional status. No correlation between changes in the AES and depression scores was reported. |
| Baeyens, 2011 | 2 Case Reports | Methylphenidate (10 or 20 mg/day) | Hypothermia in patients with Lewy Bodies Dementia | MMSE | Both cases reported demonstrated improvement in hypothermia, alertness and cognitive function. |
| Rosenberg, 2013 | 6 week randomized, placebo- controlled trial (N= 60) |
Methylphenidate (20mg/day) | Apathy in Alzheimer disease | AES, ADMET, NPI, MMSE | Patients were randomly assigned to methylphenidate or placebo group. Significant reduction in apathy, improved CGI-C and NPI, showed CGI-C better then placebo, and MMSE results seems to be favorable on this group. |
| Padala, 2018 | 12 week double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial (N= 60) | Methylphenidate (20mg daily) | Apathy in Community- Dwelling Older Veterans With Mild Alzheimer’s Disease |
AES, 3MS,MMSE, CGI-I,CGI-S | Patients were randomly assigned for methylphenidate or placebo group for a 12 week study. Methylphenidate improved functional status, cognition, caregiver burden, apathy, depression, and CGI scores. |