title: Use of artificial networks in clinical trials: a pilot study to predict responsiveness to donepezil in Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the accuracy of artificial neural networks compared with discriminant analysis in classifying positive and negative response to the cholinesterase inhibitor donepezil in a group of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Convenience sample.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with mild to moderate AD consecutively admitted to a geriatric day hospital and treated with donepezil 5 mg/day.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-one older patients of both sexes with AD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Accuracy in detecting subjects sensitive (responders) or not (nonresponders) to 3-month therapy with ANNs. The criterion standard for evaluation of efficacy was the scores of Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive portion and Clinician's Interview Based Impression of Change-plus scales.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ANNs were more effective in discriminating between responders and nonresponders than other advanced statistical methods, particularly linear discriminant analysis. The total accuracy in predicting the outcome was 92.59%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ANNs appear to be a useful tool in detecting patient responsiveness to pharmacological treatment in AD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy. mecocci@unipg.it
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mecocci
authors.forename: Enzo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Grossi
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buscema
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Intraligi
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Savarè
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rinaldi
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cherubini
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Senin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D000077265:Donepezil; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007189:Indans / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016571:Neural Networks, Computer; D010865:Pilot Projects; D010880:Piperidines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D007189:Indans; D010880:Piperidines; D000077265:Donepezil