Acute effect of Donepezil on transcranial magnetic stimulation parameters in Alzheimer's disease
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Acute effect of single dosing with Donepezil on cholinergic cortical circuits in Alzheimer’s disease: A longitudinal transcranial magnetic stimulation study
IRAS ID
177433
Contact name
Martin Rossor
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 0 days
Research summary
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is associated with reduction in the level of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. A class of drugs called cholinesterase inhibitors (AChEI) such as Donepezil, were developed to boost the level of acetylcholine in the brain. The clinical benefit of AChEI is very modest and so it is often difficult to determine on an individual basis if the drug is helpful or not.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive, safe and relatively cheap method of assessing how excitable the nerve cells in the brain are. One specific TMS paradigm has been developed to reflect the function of nerve cells relying on acetylcholine as a neurotransmitter: the short latency afferent inhibition of the motor cortex. Therefore, measurement of the short latency afferent inhibition can potentially serve as a quantitative biomarker of the treatment effect of Donepezil.
In this study we would like to assess how the short latency afferent inhibition changes before and after a single dose of Donepezil in 20 AD patients who have already been prescribed the medication on clinical ground. The measurement will be repeated after 2 weeks to assess how stable the measurements are. AD patients will also complete a short set of neuropsychology tests lasting for about 1 hour before and then repeated after the administration of the single dose of Donepezil on the first day of the study. A control group of 20 unaffected individuals will be studied without the administration of Donepezil. The study will allow us to assess the stability of short latency afferent inhibition values within the same individual on repeated measurements within a short time period. The data collected may support the potential use of TMS as a reliable, safe and cheap biomarker in clinical trials assessing the efficacy of novel therapeutic agents in the treatment of AD.
REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/1786
Date of REC Opinion
30 Oct 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion