2003 issue 4

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Volume 19, issue 4

Article

The effect of donepezil on working memory disturbances in Alzheimer’s disease

Alina Borkowska1, Monika Wiłkość1, Janusz Rybakowski2
1. Zakład Neuropsychologii Klinicznej Akademii Medycznej w Bydgoszczy
2. Klinika Psychiatrii Dorosłych Akademii Medycznej w Poznaniu
Farmakoterapia w Psychiatrii i Neurologii, 2003, 4, 95-101
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, working memory, donepezil

Abstract

Neuropsychological tests measuring working memory were performed in 78 patients with Alzheimer’s disease (55 – mild dementia, 23 – moderate dementia), before and after three-month treatment with donepezil. Working memory disturbances of similar severity were found in patients with either mild or moderate dementia what suggest that these disturbances (with other cognitive deficits) may occur in early stages of the disease. Traetment with donepezil caused an improvement of working memory disturbances measured with some tests and this effect was slightly better in patients with mild dementia.