Ibuprofen treatment modifies cortical sources of EEG rhythms in mild Alzheimer's disease.
OBJECTIVE
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen have a protective role on risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here we evaluated the hypothesis that long-term ibuprofen treatment affects cortical sources of resting electroencephalographic (EEG) rhythms in mild AD patients.


METHODS
Twenty-three AD patients (13 treated AD IBUPROFEN; 10 untreated AD PLACEBO) were enrolled. Resting EEG data were recorded before and 1 year after the ibuprofen/placebo treatment. EEG rhythms were delta (2-4 Hz), theta (4-8 Hz), alpha 1 (8-10.5 Hz), alpha 2 (10.5-13 Hz), beta 1 (13-20 Hz), and beta 2 (20-30 Hz). LORETA was used for EEG source analysis.


RESULTS
In the AD PLACEBO group, amplitude of delta sources was globally greater at follow-up than baseline. Instead, amplitude of delta sources remained stable or decreased in the majority of the AD IBUPROFEN patients. Clinical (CDR) but not global cognitive status (MMSE) reflected EEG results.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that in mild AD patients, a long-term ibuprofen treatment slightly slows down the progressive increment of delta rhythms as a sign of contrast against the neurodegenerative processes.


CONCLUSIONS
They motivate future investigations with larger population and extended neuropsychological testing, to study the relationships among ibuprofen treatment, delta cortical sources, and higher order functions.
Babiloni
Claudio
C
Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Foggia, Viale Pinto 7, Foggia I-71100, Italy. c.babiloni@unifg.it
Frisoni
Giovanni B
GB
Del Percio
Claudio
C
Zanetti
Orazio
O
Bonomini
Cristina
C
Cassetta
Emanuele
E
Pasqualetti
Patrizio
P
Miniussi
Carlo
C
De Rosas
Mario
M
Valenzano
Anna
A
Cibelli
Giuseppe
G
Eusebi
Fabrizio
F
Rossini
Paolo M
PM