Acetylcholinesterase inhibitor treatment is associated with relatively slow cognitive decline in patients with Alzheimer's disease and AD + DLB.
Dementia can be caused by different diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), or both (AD + DLB). University of Kentucky AD Center pathologically-diagnosed AD and AD + DLB cases were evaluated who had three or more longitudinal antemortem mental status examinations (n = 156). Patients with important concomitant pathology (n = 5) or patients that were profoundly demented at recruitment (intake MMSE < 20; n = 86) were excluded to strengthen our ability to test the association of specific clinical and pathological indices. Patients with pathologically-diagnosed AD + DLB (n = 25) lost cognitive capacity faster than patients with AD alone (n = 40). In both diseases, treatment with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors was associated with a slower rate of cognitive decline.
Nelson
Peter T
PT
Department of Pathology, University of Kentucky Medical Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA. pnels2@email.uky.edu
Kryscio
Richard J
RJ
Abner
Erin L
EL
Schmitt
Frederick A
FA
Jicha
Gregory A
GA
Mendiondo
Marta S
MS
Cooper
Greg
G
Smith
Charles B
CB
Markesbery
William R
WR
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests
D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors