title: New onset executive function difficulties at menopause: a possible role for lisdexamfetamine.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Reports of cognitive decline, particularly in the domains of executive functions (EFs), are common among menopausal women.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to determine the impact of the psychostimulant lisdexamfetamine (LDX) on subjective and objective cognitive function among menopausal women who report new-onset EF complaints.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-two healthy perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women experiencing mid-life-onset executive function difficulties as measured using the Brown Attention Deficit Disorder Scale (BADDS) were administered LDX 40-60 mg/day for 4 weeks in this double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study. Diagnosis of lifetime ADHD was exclusionary. BADDS total and subscale scores and performance on verbal memory and working memory tasks were outcomes of interest.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analyses revealed a significant effect of LDX treatment over placebo for total BADDS scores (p = 0.0001) and for four out of the five BADDS subscales (all p < 0.004). LDX treatment also resulted in significant improvement in delayed paragraph recall (p = 0.018), but there was no significant effect of treatment on other cognitive measures. Systolic blood pressure (p = 0.017) and heart rate increased significantly (p = 0.006) when women were on LDX but remained, on average, within the normal range.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LDX 40-60 mg/day was well tolerated and improved the subjective measures of executive function as well as objective measures of delayed verbal recall in this sample of healthy menopausal women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA, cepp@mail.med.upenn.edu.
authors.forename: C Neill
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Epperson
authors.forename: Sheila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shanmugan
authors.forename: Deborah R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mathews
authors.forename: Kathryn A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Czarkowski
authors.forename: Jeanette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bradley
authors.forename: Dina H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Appleby
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Iannelli
authors.forename: Mary D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Sammel
authors.forename: Thomas E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects*; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D056344:Executive Function / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000069478:Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000187:drug effects; D008593:Menopause / Q000523:psychology*; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000187:drug effects; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D000069478:Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate