Donepezil treatment of older adults with cognitive impairment and depression (DOTCODE study): clinical rationale and design

Contemp Clin Trials. 2014 Mar;37(2):200-8. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2013.11.015. Epub 2013 Dec 5.

Abstract

Treatment strategies for patients with depression and cognitive impairment (DEP-CI), who are at high risk to develop a clinical diagnosis of dementia, are not established. This issue is addressed in the donepezil treatment of cognitive impairment and depression (DOTCODE) pilot clinical trial. The DOTCODE study is the first long-term treatment trial that assesses differences in conversion to dementia and cognitive change in DEP-CI patients using a study design of open antidepressant medication plus add-on randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled treatment with the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor donepezil. In Phase 1, DEP-CI patients receive optimized antidepressant treatment for 16 weeks. In Phase 2, antidepressant treatment is continued with the addition of randomized, double-blind treatment with donepezil or placebo. The total study duration for each patient is 78 weeks (18 months). Eighty DEP-CI outpatients (age 55 to 95 years) are recruited: 40 at New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University and 40 at Duke University Medical Center. The primary outcome is conversion to a clinical diagnosis of dementia. The secondary outcomes are cognitive change scores in Selective Reminding Test (SRT) total recall and the modified Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS-cog). Other key assessments include the 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and antidepressant response; Clinical Global Impression (CGI) for depression, cognition, and global status; neuropsychological test battery for diagnosis; informant report of functional abilities (Pfeffer FAQ); and Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS) for somatic side effects. Apolipoprotein E ε4 status, odor identification deficits, and MRI entorhinal/hippocampal cortex atrophy at baseline are evaluated as neurobiological moderators of donepezil treatment effects.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01658228.

Keywords: Aging; Alzheimer's disease; Cognitive impairment; Depression; Donepezil; Memory decline; Randomized clinical trial.

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Activities of Daily Living
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Alzheimer Disease / drug therapy
  • Antidepressive Agents / administration & dosage
  • Antidepressive Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Cholinesterase Inhibitors / administration & dosage
  • Cholinesterase Inhibitors / therapeutic use*
  • Cognition / drug effects
  • Cognition Disorders / drug therapy*
  • Depressive Disorder / drug therapy*
  • Donepezil
  • Double-Blind Method
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Indans / administration & dosage
  • Indans / therapeutic use*
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Piperidines / administration & dosage
  • Piperidines / therapeutic use*
  • Research Design*

Substances

  • Antidepressive Agents
  • Cholinesterase Inhibitors
  • Indans
  • Piperidines
  • Donepezil

Associated data

  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT01658228