Development of a simplified Short-Term Memory recall Test (STMT) and its clinical evaluation.

Background And Aims: The early detection and prevention of dementia is attracting attention. We therefore developed an easily performed protocol to identify patients with memory impairment which may progress to dementia, and evaluated its validity.

Methods: We focused on short-term memory impairment alone, and named the test, consisting of 3 tasks, the simplified Short-Term Memory recall Test (STMT; with a maximum score of 8).

Long-term safety and efficacy of donepezil in patients with severe Alzheimer's disease: results from a 52-week, open-label, multicenter, extension study in Japan.

Background/aims: A 6-month, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was extended to evaluate long-term safety and efficacy of donepezil in community-dwelling Japanese patients with severe Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods: 189 patients were enrolled from the double-blind study into a 52-week, open-label extension study. After a 2- to 8-week washout, donepezil was escalated within 6 weeks to 10 mg/day.

Donepezil treatment of patients with severe Alzheimer's disease in a Japanese population: results from a 24-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial.

Background/aims: A 24-week, randomized, parallel-group, double-blind placebo-controlled study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of donepezil in severe Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods: Patients with severe AD (Mini-Mental State Examination score 1-12; modified Hachinski Ischemic Score < or =6; Functional Assessment Staging > or =6) were enrolled in this study in Japan. A total of 325 patients were randomized to donepezil 5 mg/day (n = 110), donepezil 10 mg/day (n = 103) or placebo (n = 112).