Choe, Young Min; Kim, Ki Woong; Jhoo, Jin Hyeong; Ryu, Seung Ho; Seo, Eun Hyun; Sohn, Bo Kyung; Byun, Min Soo; Bak, Jae-Hwa; Lee, Jong-Min; Yun, Hyuk Jin; Han, Myeong-Il; Woo, Jong Inn; Lee, Dong Young
International journal of geriatric psychiatry
2016Jul ; 31 ( 7 ) :731-9.
PMID : 26553313
ÀúÀÚ »ó¼¼Á¤º¸
Choe, Young Min - Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan University Hospital, Ulsan, Korea.
Kim, Ki Woong - Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
Jhoo, Jin Hyeong - Department of Neuropsychiatry, Kangwon National University Hospital, Chunchon, Korea.
Ryu, Seung Ho - Department of Neuropsychiatry, Konkuk University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Seo, Eun Hyun - Division of Natural Medical Sciences, College of Health Science Chosun University, Gwangju, Korea.
Sohn, Bo Kyung - Department of Neuropsychiatry, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Byun, Min Soo - Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Bak, Jae-Hwa - Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Lee, Jong-Min - Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.
Yun, Hyuk Jin - Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.
Han, Myeong-Il - Department of Psychiatry, Maeumsarang Hospital, Wanju, Korea.
Woo, Jong Inn - Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Lee, Dong Young - Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: A series of preclinical studies have suggested that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants not only stimulate neurogenesis but also have neuroprotective effects. The present study primarily aimed to investigate whether escitalopram would decelerate the brain atrophy of patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD). We also assessed the effects of escitalopram on the cognitive function and neuropsychiatric symptoms of these participants.
METHODS: Seventy-four probable AD patients without major depression were recruited from four dementia clinics of university hospitals and randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio. Each group received 20?mg/day of escitalopram or placebo for 52?weeks. The primary outcome measures were the change rates of hippocampal and whole brain volume on magnetic resonance imaging for 52?weeks. The Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale, Mini-Mental State Examination, Neuropsychiatric Inventory, and Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD) were also applied.
RESULTS: We did not find any significant differences in the changes of hippocampal or whole brain volume between the groups. Escitalopram showed significant beneficial effects on the CSDD score at 28?weeks compared with placebo (t?=?-2.17, df?=?50.42, p?=?0.035), but this finding did not persist throughout the study. CONCLUSION: The findings of the present study do not support the role of escitalopram as a progression-delaying treatment for AD. However, the negative results of the present trial should be interpreted cautiously because of the relatively small sample size. Further large-scale escitalopram trials targeting the earlier stages of AD, even prodromal AD, are still needed. Copyright ??2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. CI - Copyright ??2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
keyword
Alzheimer's disease; brain atrophy; clinical trial; escitalopram; magnetic resonance imaging; selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
¸µÅ©