Effect of methylphenidate on apathy in patients with Alzheimer Disease: The ADMET 2 Randomized Clinical Trial
This RCT (n=200) found methylphenidate (10mg BD) decreased apathy symptoms as measured by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory vs placebo within 100 days (HR 2.16; 95% CI, 1.19-3.91; P =0.01) that was sustained for 6 months (mean difference, −1.25; 95% CI, −2.03 to −0.47; P = 0.002).
Source:
JAMA Neurology
SPS commentary:
An editorial discusses the prevalence of apathy in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the pathophysiology of apathy, the current lack of treatments for this symptom and how the results from this study will help clinicians in the future when struggling to treat apathy in their patients with AD.