Amisulpride in the treatment of behavioural disturbances among patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this article was to evaluate the effects of amisulpride on the behavioural and psychiatric symptoms of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this open-label study, we observed 18 outpatients affected by moderate to severe AD, complicated with agitation and disruptive behaviours. Behavioural, cognitive and motor effects of amisulpride at baseline and after 12 weeks were rated by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), Mini Mental State Examination, Clinical Dementia Rating Scale, activities of daily living, and the motor score of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. RESULTS: After treatment with amisulpride (200 mg/day), the patients showed a significant decrease in NPI total scores, particularly for the subitem 'agitation'. Cognitive and motor variables did not worsen significantly over the 12-week period. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary observation suggests that amisulpride can be useful to control agitation and disruptive behaviours in AD patients without significantly effecting vigilance and motor activity.