title: Effects of rivastigmine on visual attention in subjects with amnestic mild cognitive impairment: A serial functional MRI activation pilot-study.
abstract: A pilot study to investigate the effects of rivastigmine on the brain activation pattern due to visual attention tasks in a group of amnestic Mild Cognitive Impaired patients (aMCI). The design was an initial three-month double blind period with a rivastigmine and placebo arms, followed by a nine-month open-label period. All patients underwent serial functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at baseline, and after three and six months of follow-up. Primary endpoint was the effect of rivastigmine on functional brain changes during visual attention (face and location matching) tasks. There were five in the rivastigmine arm and two in the placebo arm. The face matching task showed higher activation of visual areas after three months of treatment but no differences compared to baseline at six months. The location matching task showed a higher activation along the dorsal visual pathway at both three and six months follow ups. Treatment with rivastigmine demonstrates a significant effect on brain activation of the dorsal visual pathway during a location matching task in patients with aMCI. Our data support the potential use of task fMRI to map specific treatment effects of cholinergic drugs during prodromal stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD).
authors: Discipline of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience (TCIN), Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland; Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Nussbaumstrasse 7, 80336 Munich, Germany. Electronic address: Arun.Bokde@tcd.ie.
authors: Arun L W
authors: AL
authors: Bokde
authors: Sorbonne Universités, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris 06, Institut de la Mémoire et de la Maladie d'Alzheimer (IM2A) & Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Épinière (ICM), Département de Neurologie, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpétrière, Paris, France; CATI Multicenter Neuroimaging Platform, France; Unità di Neuroimmagine e Epidemiologia Alzheimer, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio-Fatebenefratelli, Italy.
authors: Enrica
authors: E
authors: Cavedo
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Nussbaumstrasse 7, 80336 Munich, Germany.
authors: Patricia
authors: P
authors: Lopez-Bayo
authors: Sorbonne Universités, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris 06, Institut de la Mémoire et de la Maladie d'Alzheimer (IM2A) & Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Épinière (ICM), Département de Neurologie, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpétrière, Paris, France; AXA Research Fund & UPMC Chair, Paris, France.
authors: Simone
authors: S
authors: Lista
authors: Institute for Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, Germany.
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Meindl
authors: Institute for Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, Germany.
authors: Christine
authors: C
authors: Born
authors: Unità di Neuroimmagine e Epidemiologia Alzheimer, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio-Fatebenefratelli, Italy.
authors: Samantha
authors: S
authors: Galluzzi
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Immanuel Clinic Rüdersdorf, Medical School Brandenburg, Seebad 82/83, 15562 Rüdersdorf bei Berlin, Germany.
authors: Frank
authors: F
authors: Faltraco
authors: Sorbonne Universités, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris 06, Institut de la Mémoire et de la Maladie d'Alzheimer (IM2A) & Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Épinière (ICM), Département de Neurologie, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpétrière, Paris, France.
authors: Bruno
authors: B
authors: Dubois
authors: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Rostock, Germany.
authors: Stefan J
authors: SJ
authors: Teipel
authors: Institute for Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, Germany.
authors: Maximilian
authors: M
authors: Reiser
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Nussbaumstrasse 7, 80336 Munich, Germany.
authors: Hans-Jürgen
authors: HJ
authors: Möller
authors: Sorbonne Universités, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris 06, Institut de la Mémoire et de la Maladie d'Alzheimer (IM2A) & Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Épinière (ICM), Département de Neurologie, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpétrière, Paris, France; AXA Research Fund & UPMC Chair, Paris, France.
authors: Harald
authors: H
authors: Hampel
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000647:Amnesia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D000066499:Facial Recognition / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D000068836:Rivastigmine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D000068836:Rivastigmine
keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Cholinesterase inhibitors; Pharmaceutical therapy; Pharmacological fMRI; Visual attention