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Efficacy of a Vitamin/Nutriceutical Formulation for Early-stage Alzheimer's Disease: A 1-year, Open-label Pilot Study With an 16-Month Caregiver Extension

Center for Cell Neurobiology and Neurodegeneration Research, University of Massachusetts Lowell, MA

James Paskavitz, MD

Perceptive Informatics, Inc, Waltham, MA

Ruth Remington, PhD

Center for Cell Neurobiology and Neurodegeneration Research, University of Massachusetts Lowell, MA

Shelly Rasmussen, PhD

Department of Mathematics, University of Massachusetts Lowell, MA

Thomas B. Shea, PhD

Center for Cell Neurobiology and Neurodegeneration Research, University of Massachusetts Lowell, MA Thomas_Shea{at}uml.edu

We examined the efficacy of a vitamin/nutriceutical formulation (folate, vitamin B6, alpha-tocopherol, S-adenosyl methionine, N-acetyl cysteine, and acetyl-L-carnitine) in a 12-month, open-label trial with 14 community-dwelling individuals with early-stage Alzheimer's disease. Participants improved in the Dementia Rating Scale and Clock-drawing tests (Clox 1 and 2). Family caregivers reported improvement in multiple domains of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and maintenance of performance in the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study—Activities of Daily Living (ADL). Sustained performance was reported by caregivers for those participants who continued in an 16-month extension. Performance on the NPI was equivalent to published findings at 3 to 6 months for donepezil and exceeded that of galantamine and their historical placebos. Participants demonstrated superior performance for more than 12 months in NPI and ADL versus those receiving naproxen and rofecoxib or their placebo group. This formulation holds promise for treatment of early-stage Alzheimer's disease prior to and/or as a supplement for pharmacological approaches. A larger, placebo-controlled trial is warranted.

Key Words: cognition • behavioral response • vitamin • nutriceutical • supplement

This version was published on January 1, 2009

American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias®, Vol. 23, No. 6, 571-585 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1533317508325093


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