Alzheimer's disease compared with cerebrovascular dementia. Neuropsychological similarities and differences.

Forty-eight patients with a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, 30 patients with cerebrovascular dementia, and 48 normal controls were assessed with a battery of neuropsychological tests designed to measure the following cognitive processes: orientation to time and place, memory, visual-perceptual and constructional skills, language, conceptualization, attention, and executive functions (planning, self-regulation and fine motor coordination). The differences detected were in orientation to time and place, in immediate and delayed recall of a short story, and in naming in which the patients with Alzheimer's disease were significantly disadvantaged. Vice versa, in attention processes, self-regulation, planning, and fine motor coordination tasks the patients with cerebrovascular dementia were more severely impaired; these disturbances resemble some of those occurring in frontal lobe syndromes.

Multicentre study of l-alpha-glyceryl-phosphorylcholine vs ST200 among patients with probable senile dementia of Alzheimer's type.

A multicentre, randomised, controlled study compared the efficacy of l-alpha-glyceryl-phosphorylcholine (alpha GPC) and ST200 (acetyl-l-carnitine) among 126 patients with probable senile dementia of Alzheimer's type (SDAT) of mild to moderate degree. Efficacy was evaluated by means of behavioural scales and psychometric tests. The results showed significant improvements in most neuropsychological parameters in the alpha GPC recipients.

Alzheimer's disease: correlational analysis of three screening tests and three behavioral scales.

We administered three cognitive tests (the Mini Mental State Examination, the Cognitive Capacity Screening Examination, and the Blessed Information-Memory-Concentration test) and three behavioral scales (the Blessed Dementia Scale, the Gottfries-Bråne-Steen scale, and the Sandoz Clinical Assessment Geriatric) to 41 patients with a clinical diagnosis of "probable" Alzheimer's disease (NINCDS-ADRDA criteria). The six measures demonstrated good reliability and high intercorrelation values. These findings provide further evidence for the strength of relationship between cognitive and behavioral measures in Alzheimer's disease.

Effects of idebenone in elderly subjects with cognitive decline. Results of a multicentre clinical trial.

A randomized, multicentre study on idebenone vs. oxiracetam was carried out in order to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of idebenone in subjects with senile cognitive decline. Seventy-nine patients were enrolled: 39 treated with idebenone 45 mg twice daily p.

Idebenone in the treatment of multi-infarct dementia: a randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled multicentre trial.

A controlled double blind randomised open multicentre study was carried out on 104 patients with multi-infarct dementia (MID) from a mild to a moderate degree. The patients were randomly assigned to balanced blocks in each center and treated for 90 days either with idebenone (CV-2619) 90 mg/daily or placebo, after a 2-week turn-in period. The Gottfries Rating Scale, SCAG, Rey's A Figure Test, Rey's 15 Words Test, Token Test, Verbal Fluidity Test and the Blessed Dementia Test were used for assessment.