title: Changes in cerebral glucose metabolism in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease: a pilot study with the Chinese herbal medicine fuzhisan.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of fuzhisan (FZS, 10mg/day), a Chinese herbal medicine, on cerebral glucose metabolism and neuropsychological metrics in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD). This was a 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study. Twenty-two subjects were randomly assigned to groups that received FZS (n=12) or placebo (n=10). Positron emission tomography (PET) was used to study the regional cerebral metabolic rate of glucose consumption (rCMRglc) at baseline and week 12. We evaluated the clinical efficacy of FZS on cognition and behavioral functions using the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive subscale (ADAS-Cog) and the Neuropsychiatric Index (NPI), respectively. Compared with placebo, FZS significantly improved ADAS-Cog scores and NPI scores at week 12. Moreover, FZS treatment favorably improved rCMRglc in the bilateral temporal and parietal cortices, hippocampus, and posterior cingulate gyrus. These results suggest that FZS treatment may have a positive effect on cognition, behavioral functions, and rCMRglc in mild-to-moderate AD patients.
authors: Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, 23rd Youzheng Street, Nangang District, Harbin 150001, China.
authors: Min
authors: M
authors: Bi
authors: Suijun
authors: S
authors: Tong
authors: Zhaoxu
authors: Z
authors: Zhang
authors: Qilin
authors: Q
authors: Ma
authors: Shiyang
authors: S
authors: Zhang
authors: Zuomin
authors: Z
authors: Luo
authors: Yidan
authors: Y
authors: Zhang
authors: Xuling
authors: X
authors: Li
authors: Desheng
authors: D
authors: Wang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C543479:fuzhisan; D005947:Glucose