Gangliosides in the treatment of mental deterioration. A double-blind comparison with placebo.
Thirty patients showing signs of mental deterioration were submitted to a neuropsychological battery before and after treatment with gangliosides. Their performances were compared, in a double-blind study, with those obtained on the same tests by 30 patients affected by similar degrees of dementia and treated with placebo. The improvement shown on Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices and on Immediate Visual Memory by the active group was significantly higher than that shown by the placebo group. Furthermore, an evaluation of the overall effect of gangliosides therapy showed a highly significant difference between the active and placebo group, still in favour of the subjects treated with gangliosides. It is concluded that gangliosides may exert a positive effect in the treatment of demential syndromes.
D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D004522:Educational Status; D005732:Gangliosides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010919:Placebos; D011581:Psychological Tests; D013037:Spatial Behavior; D014705:Verbal Behavior
D005732:Gangliosides; D010919:Placebos