title: Cognitive function in early clinical phase huntington disease after rivastigmine treatment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In Huntington disease (HD) patients receiving rivastigmine treatment improvement of behavioral symptoms and of cognitive function (assessed with screening diagnostic instruments) has been reported. The aim of the present study was to verify such improvement in cognitive function by cognitive function assessment with a detailed neuropsychological battery covering all relevant cognitive systems expected to be impaired in early phase HD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen (18) HD patients entered the study and were randomly allocated to the rivastigmine and placebo group. All subjects underwent neuropsychological assessment at baseline. Follow-up neuropsychological assessment was applied after 6 months of rivastigmine or placebo treatment. Eighteen (18) healthy controls entered the study to control for practice effect and underwent neuropsychological assessment at baseline and after 6 months, without treatment. The neuropsychological battery consisted of assessment tools that are sensitive to cognitive impairment seen in early phase HD: CTMT, SDMT, Stroop (attention and information control), RFFT, TOL, Verbal fluency (executive functioning), CVLT-II, RCFT (learning and memory). Effect of rivastigmine and possible effect of practice was assessed using the mixed ANOVA model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No statistically significant effect of rivastigmine treatment on cognitive function in HD patients was detected. There was no evidence for practice or placebo effect.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Detailed neuropsychological assessment did not confirm previously reported effect of rivastigmine treatment on cognitive function in HD patients. The limitations of our study are, in particular, small sample size and the lack of a single measure of relevant cognitive functioning in HD patients. Instead of focusing solely on statistical significance, a clinical relevance study is proposed to clarify the issue of rivastigmine effects in HD.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Zaloška 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia, sanja.sesok@kclj.si.
authors.forename: Sanja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sešok
authors.forename: Nika
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bolle
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kobal
authors.forename: Valentin
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bucik
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Vodušek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D048448:Phenylcarbamates / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011594:Psychometrics; D000068836:Rivastigmine; D017524:Slovenia
chemical_list: D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D048448:Phenylcarbamates; D000068836:Rivastigmine