Olfactory Deficits and Donepezil Treatment in Cognitively Impaired Elderly

Sponsor
New York State Psychiatric Institute (Other)
Overall Status
Completed
CT.gov ID
NCT01951118
Collaborator
National Institutes of Health (NIH) (NIH), National Institute on Aging (NIA) (NIH)
121
1
1
67
1.8

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

Olfactory identification deficits occur in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), are associated with disease severity, predict conversion from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to AD and are associated with healthy elderly subjects developing MCI. Odor (olfactory) identification deficits may reflect degeneration of cholinergic inputs to the olfactory bulb and other olfactory brain regions. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (ACheI) like donepezil show modest effects in improving cognition but can be associated with adverse effects and increased burden and costs because of the need for prolonged, often lifelong, treatment. Converging findings on odor identification test performance (UPSIT, scratch and sniff 40-item test) from four pilot studies, including two of our own, suggest that acute change in the UPSIT in response to an anticholinergic challenge (atropine nasal spray), incremental change over 8 weeks, and even the baseline UPSIT score by itself, may predict cognitive improvement with ACheI treatment in MCI and AD. If change in odor identification deficits can help to identify which patients should receive ACheI treatment, this simple inexpensive approach will advance the goal of improving personalized treatment, improve selection and monitoring of patients for ACheI treatment, reduce needless ACheI exposure with risk of side effects, and decrease health care costs.

Detailed Description

In this clinical trial, the investigators will evaluate, treat and follow two broad samples of adult patients at New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University Medical Center. Study 1 will include 70 patients with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Study 2 will include 100 patients with probable Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Recruitment will be from clinics and/or advertisements. In the protocol, all 170 patients will receive baseline memory and olfactory assessments and are treated with donepezil. Patients will be followed for a total of 1 year. During this time, patients will be monitored closely by the study physician and will receive memory and olfactory assessments at weeks 0, 8, 26, and 52. In addition, an olfactory challenge test will be done at baseline.

This project will be of value in the selection of patients with MCI and AD for treatment based on the evaluation of olfaction tests to predict response to donepezil. Since mild cognitive impairment is widespread and Alzheimer's disease represents a major public health problem, this study has considerable public purpose and significance.

Study Design

Study Type:
Interventional
Actual Enrollment :
121 participants
Allocation:
N/A
Intervention Model:
Single Group Assignment
Masking:
None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose:
Prevention
Official Title:
Olfactory Deficits and Donepezil Treatment in Cognitively Impaired Elderly
Actual Study Start Date :
Oct 1, 2013
Actual Primary Completion Date :
May 1, 2019
Actual Study Completion Date :
May 1, 2019

Arms and Interventions

Arm Intervention/Treatment
Experimental: Donepezil Treatment & Atropine Challenge

Atropine nasal spray is administered at baseline for the atropine challenge which involves administration of the 40-item UPSIT immediately before and 45 minutes after atropine administration. Immediately after the atropine challenge, donepezil treatment is started and continues for 52 weeks.

Drug: Donepezil
Donepezil 5mg will be given for 4 weeks and if tolerated, the dose will be increased to 10 mg per day. The dose range of 5 to 10 mg of donepezil per day will be continued for the study duration, and this is the recommended dose for donepezil in the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. For patients who do not tolerate donepezil or have a history of intolerance to donepezil or cannot take donepezil for other reasons, treatment with other cholinesterase inhibitors (galantamine or rivastigmine) is permitted at any stage of the protocol. Data will be analyzed in two ways: for donepezil alone, and for any cholinesterase inhibitor (donepezil or rivastigmine or galantamine) as the intervention.
Other Names:
  • Aricept
  • Outcome Measures

    Primary Outcome Measures

    1. Change Over Time in Selective Reminding Test (SRT) Scores [Week 0, Week 8, Week 26, Week 52]

      The Selective Reminding Test (SRT) is a 12-item test of verbal learning and memory. To administer, the researcher will read aloud a list of 12 words. The participant repeats each word aloud to ensure that the word was heard correctly. Immediately following the reading of all 12 words, the participant is asked to recall as many words as possible within the one minute time limit. The participant is then reminded of the words they did not say and asked to recall the list again. This process is repeated for 6 trials. The total immediate recall is the total number of words recalled by the participant from all 6 trials. This is the number that is reported. Lower scores indicate fewer words recalled and a poorer performance.

    Secondary Outcome Measures

    1. Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale - Cognitive (ADAS-Cog) [Week 0, Week 8, Week 26, Week 52]

      The modified Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale - Cognitive (ADAS-Cog) is a cognitive battery that assesses learning, memory, language production, language comprehension, constructional praxis, ideational praxis, and orientation. The ADAS-Cog is not a timed test and the participant's score does not depend on how rapidly the test is completed. The ADAS-Cog total score is based on the total number of errors made in the test by the participant. Therefore, a lower total score indicates a higher cognitive performance. The total score ranges from 0 to 95 and is determined by summing the errors from 12 subscales. The total score, indicating number of errors made, is the number that is reported at each timeframe.

    2. Clinician's Interview Based Impression (CIBIC-plus) [Week 8, Week 26, Week 52]

      The CIBIC-plus is a well-validated, reliable and widely used measure (range 1-7) of global improvement used in AD and MCI trials. This is a measure of change based on clinician impression. Higher values represent a worse outcome.

    3. Pfeffer Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ) [Week 0, Week 8, Week 26, Week 52]

      FAQ is a widely used 10-item instrument that takes 3 minutes to administer and focuses on instrumental, social and cognitive functioning. The assessment is completed by a study informant - typically a caregiver able to report best on the patient's current ability. The instrument assesses the patient's current ability, at the point of testing and through the past month, in these various domains. The total score is described as the cumulative scores of each item, ranging from "0 - No help needed" to "3 - No, unable to do." More impairment is indicated by higher scores. The reported total score range is from 0 (no impairment score) to 30 (maximum impairment score).

    4. Measurement of Everyday Cognition (Ecog) [Week 0, Week 8, Week 26, Week 52]

      This instrument has 40 items, takes 20 minutes to administer, and focuses on functional correlates of cognitive deficits. This assessment asks the study informant to rate the participant's ability to perform certain tasks with the domains of Memory, Language, Visual-spatial and Perceptual Abilities, Executive Functioning: Planning, Executive Functioning: Organization, and Executive Functioning: Divided Attention. The informant is asked to compare functioning from 10 years prior to the time of testing. The Everyday Cognition measure uses the sum score of all of the subscales, and the items are reverse coded (i.e., 1= "Better or no change", 2="Questionable/occasionally worse", 3="Consistently a little worse", 4="Consistently much worse"), meaning that lower scores are better. Reported total scores range from 39 (Better or no change) to 156 (Consistently much worse).

    Other Outcome Measures

    1. Mini-Mental State Examination - MMSE [Week 0, Week 26, Week 52]

      The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) is a widely used 30-item test of cognitive function that includes tests of orientation, attention, memory, language, and visual-spatial skills. Values range from 0-30; a higher value represents a better outcome.

    2. Trail Making Test (Parts A and B) [Week 0, Week 52]

      Parts A and B are composed of 25 circles. Patients are asked to scan the entire page and identify the next number or letter in a sequence.

    3. Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) -III Digit Symbol Subtest [Week 0, Week 52]

      The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) -III Digit Symbol Subtest is a paper-and-pencil cognitive test presented on a single sheet of paper that requires a subject to match symbols to numbers according to a key located on the top of the page. Values range from 0-93; a higher value represents a better outcome.

    4. Controlled Word Association (CFL) [Week 0, Week 52]

    5. Boston Naming Test (BNT) [Week 0, Week 52]

    6. Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS)-R Digit Span [Week 0, Week 52.]

    7. Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS) [Week 0, Week 8, Week 26, Week 52]

      The Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS) is widely used to evaluate somatic side effects. For each item, a rating is made on a 3-point scale, with an additional rating on the likelihood that the medication caused the side effect. Values range from 0-78; a higher value indicates a worse outcome.

    Eligibility Criteria

    Criteria

    Ages Eligible for Study:
    55 Years to 95 Years
    Sexes Eligible for Study:
    All
    Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
    No

    Study 1

    Inclusion Criteria:
    • Of either sex, age 55-95 years old

    • Patients who meet criteria for amnestic mild cognitive impairment by meeting all of the following:

    (i) subjective memory complaints (ii) Wechsler Memory Scale-III Logical Memory combined Story A + B immediate recall score or combined Story A + B delayed recall score or Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test immediate recall or delayed recall score greater than 1.5 Standard Deviation (SD) below norms or Selective Reminding Test immediate recall or delayed recall score greater than 1.5 SD below norms iii) no functional impairment consistent with dementia

    • Folstein Mini Mental State (MMSE) score ≥ 23 out of 30

    • Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) of 0.5 (questionable dementia)

    • Availability of informant

    • Retains capacity to consent

    Exclusion Criteria:
    • Medical contraindication to donepezil treatment or prior history of intolerability to donepezil treatment.

    • Medications with anticholinergic effects that have been shown to adversely impact cognition will not be permitted. Benzodiazepines in lorazepam equivalents less than or equal to 2 mg daily and narcotics will also not be permitted.

    • Meets criteria for dementia by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV (DSM-IV) or probable Alzheimer's disease by National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association (NINCDS-ADRDA)

    • Meets Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV Text Revision (DSM IV TR) criteria for: (i)schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, other psychosis, or bipolar I disorder (ii)alcohol or substance dependence or abuse (current or within past 6 months)

    • Current untreated major depression or suicidality

    • Parkinson's disease, Lewy body disease, multiple sclerosis, central nervous system infection, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, other major neurological disorder.

    • Mental Retardation

    • Cystic Fibrosis

    • Clinical stroke with residual neurological deficits. MRI findings of cerebrovascular disease (small infarcts, lacunes, periventricular disease) in the absence of clinical stroke with residual neurological deficits will not lead to exclusion.

    • Patients receiving cholinesterase inhibitors (donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine) or memantine will be excluded. Patients already receiving one of these medications at screening who undergo a 2-week washout before starting all study procedures will not be excluded.

    • Acute, severe, unstable medical illness. For cancer, patients with active illness or metastases will be excluded, but past history of successfully treated cancer will not lead to exclusion.

    • Exclusion criterion for olfaction: history of anosmia due to any cause (e.g. traumatic or congenital) verified by UPSIT score of <11 out of 40; head trauma with loss of consciousness; nasal sinus disease, current upper respiratory infection; severe allergies to odors; current smoker > 1 pack daily.

    • Exclusion criteria for atropine nasal spray: presence of nasal deformity or disease that makes it difficult to administer the nasal spray reliably. A patient who cannot complete the atropine nasal spray procedure can still participate in the rest of the study.

    Study 2

    Inclusion Criteria:
    • Of either sex, age 55-95 years old

    • Diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease (NINCDS-ADRDA criteria) and the diagnosis of "Probable AD dementia: core clinical diagnosis with amnestic or nonamnestic initial presentation".

    • Folstein Mini Mental State (MMSE) score 18-27 out of 30

    • Availability of informant

    • Retains capacity to consent

    Exclusion Criteria:
    • Medical contraindication to donepezil treatment or prior history of intolerability to donepezil treatment.

    • Medications with anticholinergic effects that have been shown to adversely impact cognition will not be permitted. Benzodiazepines in lorazepam equivalents less than or equal to 2 mg daily and narcotics will also not be permitted.

    • Meets DSM IV TR criteria for:(i)schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, other psychosis, or bipolar I disorder (ii)alcohol or substance dependence or abuse (current or within past 6 months)

    • Current untreated major depression or suicidality

    • Parkinson's disease, Lewy body disease, multiple sclerosis, central nervous system infection, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, other major neurological disorder.

    • Mental Retardation

    • Cystic Fibrosis

    • Clinical stroke with residual neurological deficits. MRI findings of cerebrovascular disease (small infarcts, lacunes, periventricular disease) in the absence of clinical stroke with residual neurological deficits will not lead to exclusion.

    • Patients receiving cholinesterase inhibitors (donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine) or memantine will be excluded. Patients already receiving one of these medications at screening who undergo a 2-week washout before starting all study procedures will not be excluded.

    • Acute, severe, unstable medical illness. For cancer, patients with active illness or metastases will be excluded, but past history of successfully treated cancer will not lead to exclusion.

    • Exclusion criterion for olfaction: history of anosmia due to any cause (e.g. traumatic or congenital) verified by UPSIT score of <11 out of 40; head trauma with loss of consciousness; nasal sinus disease, current upper respiratory infection; severe allergies to odors; current smoker > 1 pack daily.

    • Exclusion criteria for atropine nasal spray: presence of nasal deformity or disease that makes it difficult to administer the nasal spray reliably. A patient who cannot complete the atropine nasal spray procedure can still participate in the rest of the study.

    Contacts and Locations

    Locations

    Site City State Country Postal Code
    1 New York State Psychiatric Institute New York New York United States 10032

    Sponsors and Collaborators

    • New York State Psychiatric Institute
    • National Institutes of Health (NIH)
    • National Institute on Aging (NIA)

    Investigators

    • Principal Investigator: Davangere Devanand, M.D., Columbia University

    Study Documents (Full-Text)

    More Information

    Publications

    None provided.
    Responsible Party:
    Davangere P. Devanand, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Neurology, New York State Psychiatric Institute
    ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
    NCT01951118
    Other Study ID Numbers:
    • 6655
    • 1R01AG041795
    First Posted:
    Sep 26, 2013
    Last Update Posted:
    Jul 13, 2020
    Last Verified:
    Jul 1, 2020
    Keywords provided by Davangere P. Devanand, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Neurology, New York State Psychiatric Institute
    Additional relevant MeSH terms:

    Study Results

    Participant Flow

    Recruitment Details
    Pre-assignment Detail
    Arm/Group Title Donepezil Treatment & Atropine Challenge
    Arm/Group Description Atropine nasal spray is administered at baseline for the atropine challenge which involves administration of the 40-item UPSIT immediately before and 45 minutes after atropine administration. Immediately after the atropine challenge, donepezil treatment is started and continues for 52 weeks. Donepezil: Donepezil 5mg will be given for 4 weeks and if tolerated, the dose will be increased to 10 mg per day. The dose range of 5 to 10 mg of donepezil per day will be continued for the study duration, and this is the recommended dose for donepezil in the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. For patients who do not tolerate donepezil or have a history of intolerance to donepezil or cannot take donepezil for other reasons, treatment with other cholinesterase inhibitors (galantamine or rivastigmine) is permitted at any stage of the protocol. Data will be analyzed in two ways: for donepezil alone, and for any cholinesterase inhibitor (donepezil or rivastigmine or galantamine).
    Period Title: Overall Study
    STARTED 121
    COMPLETED 94
    NOT COMPLETED 27

    Baseline Characteristics

    Arm/Group Title Donepezil Treatment & Atropine Challenge
    Arm/Group Description Atropine nasal spray is administered at baseline for the atropine challenge which involves administration of the 40-item UPSIT immediately before and 45 minutes after atropine administration. Immediately after the atropine challenge, donepezil treatment is started and continues for 52 weeks. Donepezil: Donepezil 5mg will be given for 4 weeks and if tolerated, the dose will be increased to 10 mg per day. The dose range of 5 to 10 mg of donepezil per day will be continued for the study duration, and this is the recommended dose for donepezil in the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. For patients who do not tolerate donepezil or have a history of intolerance to donepezil or cannot take donepezil for other reasons, treatment with other cholinesterase inhibitors (galantamine or rivastigmine) is permitted at any stage of the protocol. Data will be analyzed in two ways: for donepezil alone, and for any cholinesterase inhibitor (donepezil or rivastigmine or galantamine).
    Overall Participants 121
    Age (Count of Participants)
    <=18 years
    0
    0%
    Between 18 and 65 years
    40
    33.1%
    >=65 years
    81
    66.9%
    Sex: Female, Male (Count of Participants)
    Female
    61
    50.4%
    Male
    60
    49.6%
    Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) (Count of Participants)
    Hispanic or Latino
    21
    17.4%
    Not Hispanic or Latino
    100
    82.6%
    Unknown or Not Reported
    0
    0%
    Race (NIH/OMB) (Count of Participants)
    American Indian or Alaska Native
    0
    0%
    Asian
    5
    4.1%
    Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
    0
    0%
    Black or African American
    27
    22.3%
    White
    88
    72.7%
    More than one race
    1
    0.8%
    Unknown or Not Reported
    0
    0%
    Region of Enrollment (participants) [Number]
    United States
    121
    100%

    Outcome Measures

    1. Primary Outcome
    Title Change Over Time in Selective Reminding Test (SRT) Scores
    Description The Selective Reminding Test (SRT) is a 12-item test of verbal learning and memory. To administer, the researcher will read aloud a list of 12 words. The participant repeats each word aloud to ensure that the word was heard correctly. Immediately following the reading of all 12 words, the participant is asked to recall as many words as possible within the one minute time limit. The participant is then reminded of the words they did not say and asked to recall the list again. This process is repeated for 6 trials. The total immediate recall is the total number of words recalled by the participant from all 6 trials. This is the number that is reported. Lower scores indicate fewer words recalled and a poorer performance.
    Time Frame Week 0, Week 8, Week 26, Week 52

    Outcome Measure Data

    Analysis Population Description
    The number analyzed in one or more rows differs from overall number analyzed due to participant drop-out.
    Arm/Group Title MCI Sample AD Sample
    Arm/Group Description 100 patients with MCI were analyzed for this sample. 21 patients with AD were analyzed for this sample.
    Measure Participants 100 21
    Week 0
    36.14
    (10.67)
    21.19
    (8.23)
    Week 8
    39.99
    (10.30)
    24.10
    (9.82)
    Week 26
    39.75
    (10.69)
    23.00
    (8.07)
    Week 52
    39.62
    (11.44)
    24.38
    (9.69)
    2. Secondary Outcome
    Title Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale - Cognitive (ADAS-Cog)
    Description The modified Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale - Cognitive (ADAS-Cog) is a cognitive battery that assesses learning, memory, language production, language comprehension, constructional praxis, ideational praxis, and orientation. The ADAS-Cog is not a timed test and the participant's score does not depend on how rapidly the test is completed. The ADAS-Cog total score is based on the total number of errors made in the test by the participant. Therefore, a lower total score indicates a higher cognitive performance. The total score ranges from 0 to 95 and is determined by summing the errors from 12 subscales. The total score, indicating number of errors made, is the number that is reported at each timeframe.
    Time Frame Week 0, Week 8, Week 26, Week 52

    Outcome Measure Data

    Analysis Population Description
    The number analyzed in one or more rows differs from overall number analyzed due to participant drop-out.
    Arm/Group Title MCI Sample AD Sample
    Arm/Group Description 100 MCI participants were analyzed for this sample. 21 AD participants were analyzed for this sample.
    Measure Participants 100 21
    Week 0
    11.41
    (4.67)
    21.67
    (6.12)
    Week 8
    10.13
    (4.22)
    19.30
    (5.80)
    Week 26
    9.63
    (4.44)
    19.63
    (7.15)
    Week 52
    10.40
    (4.72)
    22.69
    (8.99)
    3. Secondary Outcome
    Title Clinician's Interview Based Impression (CIBIC-plus)
    Description The CIBIC-plus is a well-validated, reliable and widely used measure (range 1-7) of global improvement used in AD and MCI trials. This is a measure of change based on clinician impression. Higher values represent a worse outcome.
    Time Frame Week 8, Week 26, Week 52

    Outcome Measure Data

    Analysis Population Description
    The number analyzed in one or more rows differs from overall number analyzed due to participant drop-out.
    Arm/Group Title MCI Sample AD Sample
    Arm/Group Description 100 MCI participants were analyzed for this sample. 21 AD participants were analyzed for this sample.
    Measure Participants 100 21
    Week 8
    3.34
    (0.74)
    3.55
    (0.69)
    Week 26
    3.15
    (0.86)
    3.75
    (0.64)
    Week 52
    3.11
    (1.17)
    4.38
    (0.96)
    4. Secondary Outcome
    Title Pfeffer Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ)
    Description FAQ is a widely used 10-item instrument that takes 3 minutes to administer and focuses on instrumental, social and cognitive functioning. The assessment is completed by a study informant - typically a caregiver able to report best on the patient's current ability. The instrument assesses the patient's current ability, at the point of testing and through the past month, in these various domains. The total score is described as the cumulative scores of each item, ranging from "0 - No help needed" to "3 - No, unable to do." More impairment is indicated by higher scores. The reported total score range is from 0 (no impairment score) to 30 (maximum impairment score).
    Time Frame Week 0, Week 8, Week 26, Week 52

    Outcome Measure Data

    Analysis Population Description
    The number analyzed in one or more rows differs from overall number analyzed due to participant drop-out.
    Arm/Group Title MCI Sample AD Sample
    Arm/Group Description 100 MCI participants were analyzed for this sample. 21 AD participants were analyzed for this sample.
    Measure Participants 100 21
    Week 0
    4.80
    (4.84)
    11.25
    (6.19)
    Week 8
    4.68
    (4.56)
    11.78
    (4.72)
    Week 26
    4.84
    (4.96)
    13.75
    (5.46)
    Week 52
    4.25
    (4.76)
    14.62
    (4.15)
    5. Secondary Outcome
    Title Measurement of Everyday Cognition (Ecog)
    Description This instrument has 40 items, takes 20 minutes to administer, and focuses on functional correlates of cognitive deficits. This assessment asks the study informant to rate the participant's ability to perform certain tasks with the domains of Memory, Language, Visual-spatial and Perceptual Abilities, Executive Functioning: Planning, Executive Functioning: Organization, and Executive Functioning: Divided Attention. The informant is asked to compare functioning from 10 years prior to the time of testing. The Everyday Cognition measure uses the sum score of all of the subscales, and the items are reverse coded (i.e., 1= "Better or no change", 2="Questionable/occasionally worse", 3="Consistently a little worse", 4="Consistently much worse"), meaning that lower scores are better. Reported total scores range from 39 (Better or no change) to 156 (Consistently much worse).
    Time Frame Week 0, Week 8, Week 26, Week 52

    Outcome Measure Data

    Analysis Population Description
    The number analyzed in one or more rows differs from overall number analyzed due to participant drop-out.
    Arm/Group Title MCI Sample AD Sample
    Arm/Group Description 100 MCI participants were included in this sample. 21 AD participants were included in this sample.
    Measure Participants 100 21
    Week 0
    67.93
    (20.58)
    90.80
    (28.11)
    Week 8
    67.88
    (23.35)
    89.20
    (31.14)
    Week 26
    67.92
    (23.20)
    97.65
    (29.02)
    Week 52
    66.84
    (22.66)
    103.59
    (29.27)
    6. Other Pre-specified Outcome
    Title Mini-Mental State Examination - MMSE
    Description The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) is a widely used 30-item test of cognitive function that includes tests of orientation, attention, memory, language, and visual-spatial skills. Values range from 0-30; a higher value represents a better outcome.
    Time Frame Week 0, Week 26, Week 52

    Outcome Measure Data

    Analysis Population Description
    The number analyzed in one or more rows differs from overall number analyzed due to participant drop-out.
    Arm/Group Title MCI Sample AD Sample
    Arm/Group Description 100 MCI participants were included in this sample. 21 AD participants were included in this sample.
    Measure Participants 100 21
    Week 0
    26.72
    (2.17)
    23.048
    (2.40)
    Week 26
    26.90
    (2.20)
    21.20
    (3.52)
    Week 52
    26.44
    (2.47)
    20.35
    (3.71)
    7. Other Pre-specified Outcome
    Title Trail Making Test (Parts A and B)
    Description Parts A and B are composed of 25 circles. Patients are asked to scan the entire page and identify the next number or letter in a sequence.
    Time Frame Week 0, Week 52

    Outcome Measure Data

    Analysis Population Description
    [Not Specified]
    Arm/Group Title
    Arm/Group Description
    8. Other Pre-specified Outcome
    Title Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) -III Digit Symbol Subtest
    Description The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) -III Digit Symbol Subtest is a paper-and-pencil cognitive test presented on a single sheet of paper that requires a subject to match symbols to numbers according to a key located on the top of the page. Values range from 0-93; a higher value represents a better outcome.
    Time Frame Week 0, Week 52

    Outcome Measure Data

    Analysis Population Description
    The number analyzed in one or more rows differs from overall number analyzed due to participant drop-out.
    Arm/Group Title MCI Sample AD Sample
    Arm/Group Description 100 MCI participants were included in this sample. 21 AD participants were included in this sample.
    Measure Participants 100 21
    Week 0
    36.83
    (13.72)
    25.47
    (9.27)
    Week 52
    37.24
    (12.17)
    21.06
    (11.66)
    9. Other Pre-specified Outcome
    Title Controlled Word Association (CFL)
    Description
    Time Frame Week 0, Week 52

    Outcome Measure Data

    Analysis Population Description
    [Not Specified]
    Arm/Group Title
    Arm/Group Description
    10. Other Pre-specified Outcome
    Title Boston Naming Test (BNT)
    Description
    Time Frame Week 0, Week 52

    Outcome Measure Data

    Analysis Population Description
    [Not Specified]
    Arm/Group Title
    Arm/Group Description
    11. Other Pre-specified Outcome
    Title Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS)-R Digit Span
    Description
    Time Frame Week 0, Week 52.

    Outcome Measure Data

    Analysis Population Description
    [Not Specified]
    Arm/Group Title
    Arm/Group Description
    12. Other Pre-specified Outcome
    Title Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS)
    Description The Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS) is widely used to evaluate somatic side effects. For each item, a rating is made on a 3-point scale, with an additional rating on the likelihood that the medication caused the side effect. Values range from 0-78; a higher value indicates a worse outcome.
    Time Frame Week 0, Week 8, Week 26, Week 52

    Outcome Measure Data

    Analysis Population Description
    The number analyzed in one or more rows differs from overall number analyzed due to participant drop-out.
    Arm/Group Title MCI Sample AD Sample
    Arm/Group Description 100 MCI participants were analyzed for this sample. 21 AD participants were analyzed for this sample.
    Measure Participants 100 21
    Week 0
    2.57
    (2.62)
    1.89
    (2.05)
    Week 8
    1.61
    (1.90)
    1.53
    (1.37)
    Week 26
    1.42
    (1.86)
    1.20
    (1.47)
    Week 52
    1.28
    (2.11)
    1.69
    (2.33)

    Adverse Events

    Time Frame Adverse event data were collected beginning at study start through study conclusion, an average of 5 years.
    Adverse Event Reporting Description
    Arm/Group Title Donepezil Treatment & Atropine Challenge
    Arm/Group Description Atropine nasal spray is administered at baseline for the atropine challenge which involves administration of the 40-item UPSIT immediately before and 45 minutes after atropine administration. Immediately after the atropine challenge, donepezil treatment is started and continues for 52 weeks. Donepezil: Donepezil 5mg will be given for 4 weeks and if tolerated, the dose will be increased to 10 mg per day. The dose range of 5 to 10 mg of donepezil per day will be continued for the study duration, and this is the recommended dose for donepezil in the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. For patients who do not tolerate donepezil or have a history of intolerance to donepezil or cannot take donepezil for other reasons, treatment with other cholinesterase inhibitors (galantamine or rivastigmine) is permitted at any stage of the protocol. Data will be analyzed in two ways: for donepezil alone, and for any cholinesterase inhibitor (donepezil or rivastigmine or galantamine).
    All Cause Mortality
    Donepezil Treatment & Atropine Challenge
    Affected / at Risk (%) # Events
    Total 3/121 (2.5%)
    Serious Adverse Events
    Donepezil Treatment & Atropine Challenge
    Affected / at Risk (%) # Events
    Total 8/121 (6.6%)
    Blood and lymphatic system disorders
    Low platelet level 1/121 (0.8%)
    General disorders
    Dizziness 1/121 (0.8%)
    Death 3/121 (2.5%)
    Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders
    Broken Femur 1/121 (0.8%)
    Wrist Fracture 1/121 (0.8%)
    Psychiatric disorders
    Agitation 1/121 (0.8%)
    Other (Not Including Serious) Adverse Events
    Donepezil Treatment & Atropine Challenge
    Affected / at Risk (%) # Events
    Total 0/121 (0%)

    Limitations/Caveats

    [Not Specified]

    More Information

    Certain Agreements

    All Principal Investigators ARE employed by the organization sponsoring the study.

    There is NOT an agreement between Principal Investigators and the Sponsor (or its agents) that restricts the PI's rights to discuss or publish trial results after the trial is completed.

    Results Point of Contact

    Name/Title Dr. Davangere Devanand
    Organization New York State Psychiatric Institute
    Phone 646-774-8658
    Email dpd3@cumc.columbia.edu
    Responsible Party:
    Davangere P. Devanand, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Neurology, New York State Psychiatric Institute
    ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
    NCT01951118
    Other Study ID Numbers:
    • 6655
    • 1R01AG041795
    First Posted:
    Sep 26, 2013
    Last Update Posted:
    Jul 13, 2020
    Last Verified:
    Jul 1, 2020