Study on the effectiveness of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors in the treatment of primary progressive logopenic aphasia

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundFor over 25 years, cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) have been the main symptomatic treatment for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Several meta‐analyses have supported their effectiveness in various neurocognitive aspects of amnestic AD. Over 86% of cases of the logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA) are caused by a similar pathologic process than AD, yet no study has examined the efficacy of ChEIs in this AD variant. We aimed to explore the efficacy of ChEIs in the treatment of lvPPA by comparing their longitudinal MMSEs to that of treated amnestic AD patients.MethodA retrospective chart review was performed on 48 patients with lvPPA and 52 patients with amnestic AD. Both groups were similar with respect to age, level of education, and onset of symptoms. Drug history and MMSE scores were collected on several time points before and after the introduction of ChEIs.ResultsPatients with lvPPA showed a similar trajectory of decline than amnestic AD patients on serial MMSEs (both WORLD and 100‐7) up to twelve months after the introduction of ChEIs (Figure 1 and 2).ConclusionThis study provides preliminary evidence for efficacy of ChEIs in patients with lvPPA and suggests similar benefits to those seen in amnestic AD patients.