Thiamine and Alzheimer's disease. A pilot study.
As a test of the significance of previously described biochemical abnormalities in thiamine-dependent enzymes in brains and other tissues in patients with Alzheimer's disease, a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover, outpatient pilot study compared the effects of 3 g/d of oral thiamine hydrochloride for three months with those of a niacinamide placebo. Eleven moderately impaired patients with "probable Alzheimer's disease" by the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke-Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria completed the study. All patients were well nourished and had no stigmata of dietary thiamine deficiency. Their initial mean +/- SEM Mini-Mental State Examination score was 14.2 +/- 1.4, and the mean age was 72 years. Global cognitive rating by the Mini-Mental State Examination was higher during three months with 3 g/d of oral thiamine hydrochloride than with niacinamide placebo. Behavioral ratings, however, did not differ significantly, nor did clinical state when it was judged subjectively.
Blass
J P
JP
Will Rogers Institute, White Plains, NY.
Gleason
P
P
Brush
D
D
DiPonte
P
P
Thaler
H
H
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D001519:Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D009536:Niacinamide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013831:Thiamine / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D009536:Niacinamide; D013831:Thiamine