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Comparison of Functional and Cognitive Donepezil Effects in Alzheimer's Disease

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2005

Kathleen Saine
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, US.
C. Munro Cullum
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, US.
Kristin Martin-Cook
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, US.
Linda Hynan
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, US. Department of Academic Computing Services, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, US.
Doris A. Svetlik
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, US.
Myron F. Weiner
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, US. Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, US.

Abstract

Donepezil has been shown to improve aspects of cognitive functioning in persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD), but its impact on instrumental activities of daily living has received little attention. In a within-subject design, 24 community-dwelling persons with AD were treated with open-label donepezil over a 12-month period. To assess functional abilities, a brief, objective measure of instrumental activities of daily living skills was used (Texas Functional Living Scale; TFLS). Global cognitive abilities were assessed with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Changes in TFLS and MMSE scores were much the same. Improvements on the TFLS and MMSE were seen over a 3-month period. At 12 months, both TFLS and MMSE scores declined slightly below baseline. These results support an effect of donepezil on cognitive measures and day-to-day function and also suggest that the MMSE reflects well the actual functional ability of persons with moderate AD.

Type
Articles
Copyright
© 2002 International Psychogeriatric Association

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