A DOUBLE-BLIND PLACEBO-CONTROLLED STUDY OF CLOMIPRAMINE IN DEPRESSED-PATIENTS WITH ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE

Twenty-one depressed patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) w ere randomized to receive a 6-week treatment with clomipramine or plac ebo in a study with a double-blind crossover design. Main outcome meas ures were Hamilton Depression, Mini-Mental State (MMSE), and Functiona l Independence Measure (FIM) scores. Mood improved significantly on bo th clomipramine and placebo, but clomipramine was siginificantly more effective than placebo during the first 6-week treatment period. Patie nts started on clomipramine maintained improvement during the washout and placebo periods, whereas patients started on placebo worsened duri ng the washout period. However, patients on clomipramine showed signif icantly lower MMSE scores overall than patients on placebo. No signifi cant drug effects were found on FIM scores. Clomipramine proved to be a useful treatment of depression in patients with probable AD.