Affiliations: [a] Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| [b]
Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| [c] Department of Neurology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Yun-Lin Branch, Yun-Lin, Taiwan
| [d] Department of and Master’s Program in Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: Yuan-Han Yang, MD, PhD, Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, No. 68, Jhonghua 3rd Road, Cianjin District, Kaohsiung City 80145, Taiwan. Tel.: +886 7 2911101; Fax: +886 7 2911590; endlessyhy@gmail.com
Abstract: Background: Rivastigmine has been approved in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients as it can inhibit acetyl- and butyryl-cholinesterase and provide neuroprotective effects involving the synapses. White matter changes (WMCs) are frequently observed in AD, and clinical-pathological correlations imply their possible impacts on cognitive function by interference with cortical and subcortical neuronal pathways. Objective: To evaluate the therapeutic effects of rivastigmine in AD patients with cerebral WMCs. Methods: Clinically diagnosed AD patients from Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung hospital were recruited together with their cranial magnetic resonance imaging and a series of annual psychometric tests, including Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and sum of boxes of clinical dementia rating scale (CDR-SB). WMCs were rated through the modified Fazekas scale for the periventricular and deep WMCs. Results: In total, 87 AD patients treated with rivastigmine were enrolled. Patients at severe stage of WMCs, compared to mild stage ones, had significant improvement evaluated by MMSE (periventricular WMCs, p = 0.025; deep WMCs, p = 0.030), but not CDR-SB. Compared to the worsening group, the clinically improving group had a significant higher ratio of pre-existing hypertension in terms of cognitive performance [p = 0.016, odds ratio (OR) = 3.48, 95% CI = 1.25–10.34], while having younger age (p = 0.043, OR = 0.11, 95% CI = 0.01–1.12) in terms of global status. Conclusion: Rivastigmine may provide better benefits in cognitive function, but not global status, for AD patients with more advanced WMCs. The detailed mechanisms still have to be determined in future studies.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, cholinesterase inhibitors, rivastigmine, white matter
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