title: Haloperidol disrupts, clozapine reinstates the circadian rest-activity cycle in a patient with early-onset Alzheimer disease.
abstract: Measurement of the circadian rest-activity cycle in a patient with early-onset Alzheimer disease for 555 days revealed marked changes in the timing and amount of nocturnal activity. After neuroleptic medication was changed to haloperidol, the rest-activity cycle became completely arrhythmic for two months, concomitant with a marked worsening of cognitive state. Circadian integrity returned together with clinical improvement when the patient was subsequently treated with clozapine. This observation suggests that the known tendency for patients with Alzheimer disease to develop sleep-wake cycle disturbances may be aggravated by a classic neuroleptic; in contrast, the atypical neuroleptic clozapine may consolidate it. Similar observations in schizophrenic patients indicate that this chronobiological finding is drug- and not illness-related.
authors.affiliation: Chronobiology & Sleep Laboratory, Psychiatric University Clinic, Basel, Switzerland. anna.wirz-justice@pukbasel.ch
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wirz-Justice
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Werth
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Savaskan
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Knoblauch
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Gasio
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Müller-Spahn
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000187:drug effects*; D003024:Clozapine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006220:Haloperidol / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D003024:Clozapine; D006220:Haloperidol