Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston) in the United States tested an anti-epileptic drug, levetiracetam for its potential impact on brain activity in patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease. This antiepileptic drug, levetiracetam, would restore brain activity in mild Alzheimer’s disease, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. Indeed, levetiracetam normalizes brain wave frequencies in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
In this double-blind study, a small group of patients with Alzheimer’s disease light had an electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure electrical activity and an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to quantify blood flow in the brain . At each of the three visits, they received injections containing either an inactive placebo or the anti-seizure drug levetiracetam, at a low dose (2.5 mg/kg) or at a higher dose (7.5mg/kg). Neither the patients nor the medical professionals knew which injections the patients were receiving, but each patient eventually got one of three substances in random order. After receiving the treatment, the patient’s brain was again examined. Then, patients took a cognitive test, designed to measure memory, executive functioning, naming, visuospatial ability, and semantic function, all abilities affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
The results of the study showed that the higher doses of the antiepileptic normalized the abnormalities observed in the EEGs of the patients. Indeed, the antiepileptic can normalize the frequencies of brain waves, abnormally high or abnormally low in these patients affected by the Alzheimer’s disease. On the other hand, a single dose of antiepileptic would not be effective enough to improve cognitive function. “It should be noted that we did not demonstrate improvement in cognitive function after a single dose of the drug in this study,” Daniel Press said. “It is too early to use this drug widely, but we are preparing for a larger and longer study.” While the results of this study are encouraging, further research should be conducted on larger patient samples.
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