Combining Mini-Mental State Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment for assessing the clinical efficacy of cholinesterase inhibitors in mild Alzheimer's disease: a pilot study

Aging Clin Exp Res. 2024 Apr 17;36(1):95. doi: 10.1007/s40520-024-02744-4.ABSTRACTCurrent drugs for Alzheimer's Disease (AD), such as cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs), exert only symptomatic activity. Different psychometric tools are needed to assess cognitive and non-cognitive dimensions during pharmacological treatment. In this pilot study, we monitored 33 mild-AD patients treated with ChEIs. Specifically, we evaluated the effects of 6 months (Group 1 = 17 patients) and 9 months (Group 2 = 16 patients) of ChEIs administration on cognition with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), while depressive symptoms were measured with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). After 6 months (Group 1), a significant decrease in MoCA performance was detected. After 9 months (Group 2), a significant decrease in MMSE, MoCA, and FAB performance was observed. ChEIs did not modify depressive symptoms. Overall, our data suggest MoCA is a potentially useful tool for evaluating the effectiveness of ChEIs.PMID:38630416 | DOI:10.1007/s40520-024-02744-4
Source: Aging Clinical and Experimental Research - Category: Geriatrics Authors: Source Type: research