title: Donepezil significantly improves abilities in daily lives of female Down syndrome patients with severe cognitive impairment: a 24-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Down syndrome (DS) patients share certain neuropathological features with Alzheimer disease patients. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was performed to investigate the efficacy and safety of donepezil, an Alzheimer disease drug, for DS patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-one DS patients with severe cognitive impairment were assigned to take donepezil (3 mg daily) or a placebo for 24 weeks, and evaluated for activities in daily lives by concisely modified International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) scaling system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ICF scores significantly increased without any adverse effects in the donepezil group in comparison to those in the placebo control. Among the individual functions tested, there was a dramatic improvement in the global mental functions and in specific mental functions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Donepezil may effectively and safely improve overall functioning of DS patients with severe cognitive impairment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Nagasaki University Hospital, Japan. kontatsu@nagasaki-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Tatsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kondoh
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kanno
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Itoh
authors.forename: Mikiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakashima
authors.forename: Ryoko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Honda
authors.forename: Michio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Noguchi
authors.forename: Hideyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakane
authors.forename: Hidetsugu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nozaki
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Toshiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagai
authors.forename: Rika
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kosaki
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kakee
authors.forename: Torayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okuyama
authors.forename: Masafumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Yoshisada
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Moriuchi
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000077265:Donepezil; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007189:Indans / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010880:Piperidines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D007189:Indans; D018697:Nootropic Agents; D010880:Piperidines; D000077265:Donepezil