Noradrenergic intervention in Alzheimer's disease.
We report results of a double-blind, 13-week trial of the alpha2 noradrenergic agonist guanfacine in 29 patients meeting clinical criteria for probable Alzheimer's disease (AD). Patients studied were relatively young (mean = 71 years), well educated (mean = 13.5 years), and in the early stages of cognitive deterioration (mean Mini-Mental State score = 22). We found no evidence of improvement with a single .5-mg daily dose of guanfacine and some evidence of a modest negative effect of the drug on neuropsychological tests. We concluded that noradrenergic intervention alone is unlikely to be effective in Alzheimer's disease.
Crook
T
T
Memory Assessment Clinics, Inc., Bethesda, MD 20814.
Wilner
E
E
Rothwell
A
A
Winterling
D
D
McEntee
W
W
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D016316:Guanfacine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D016316:Guanfacine