@article{ref1,
title="A placebo-controlled trial of valproate for agitation and aggression in Alzheimer's disease",
journal="Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders",
year="2007",
author="Herrmann, Nathan and Lanctôt, Krista L. and Rothenburg, Lana S. and Eryavec, Goran",
volume="23",
number="2",
pages="116-119",
abstract="BACKGROUND/AIMS: To assess the efficacy and tolerability of valproate for the treatment of agitation and aggression in moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial of valproate in institutionalized AD patients. Patients were assessed with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory at baseline and after 6 weeks of treatment with valproate and placebo, with 2 weeks between phases to allow for placebo washout and tapering. RESULTS: Fourteen patients (8 male/6 female) aged 85.6 +/- 4.5 years with baseline Mini Mental State Examination scores of 4.5 +/- 4.6 and NPI agitation/aggression scores of 6.4 +/- 3.5 were randomized to treatment. NPI agitation/aggression treatment change scores significantly worsened during valproate treatment compared with placebo (Z = -2.03, p = 0.04). Tolerability of valproate was also poor, with patients experiencing a significantly greater mean number of adverse events during valproate therapy compared to placebo (Z = -2.82, p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Valproate is not effective for the management of agitation in moderate-to-severe AD, and may be poorly tolerated in this population.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1420-8008",
doi="10.1159/000097757",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000097757"
}