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Intravenous nicotine in Alzheimer's disease: a pilot study

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Abstract

In the first study to examine direct nicotinic augmentation of central cholinergic functioning in Alzheimer's disease, six patients were studied in an intensive pilot study with three doses (0.125, 0.25, and 0.5 μg/kg/min) of intravenous nicotine and placebo. Cognitive tests showed a decrease in intrusion errors on the middle (0.25 μg) dose. Prominent behavioral effects were noted, with significant dose-related increases in anxiety and depressive affect. These results suggest that central nicotinic cholinergic stimulation deserves further investigation as a treatment in Alzheimer's disease and that nicotine may also be a useful investigative tool in other populations as a probe of central cholinergic function, especially in regard to the modulation of affect.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Behavioral Biology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Building 189, Division of Neuropsychiatry, 20307-5100, Washington DC, USA

    P. A. Newhouse

  2. Clinical Neuropharmacology Section, Laboratory of Clinical Science, National Institute of Mental Health, 20892, Bethesda, MD, USA

    P. A. Newhouse, T. Sunderland, P. N. Tariot, A. Mellow & D. L. Murphy

  3. Monroe Community Hospital, University of Rochester School of Medicine, 14603, Rochester, NY, USA

    P. N. Tariot

  4. Pharmacy Department, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 20892, Bethesda, MD, USA

    C. L. Blumhardt

  5. Department of Psychology, George Washington University, 20006, Washington DC, USA

    H. Weingartner

Authors
  1. P. A. Newhouse
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  2. T. Sunderland
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  3. P. N. Tariot
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  4. C. L. Blumhardt
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  5. H. Weingartner
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  6. A. Mellow
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  7. D. L. Murphy
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Newhouse, P.A., Sunderland, T., Tariot, P.N. et al. Intravenous nicotine in Alzheimer's disease: a pilot study. Psychopharmacology 95, 171–175 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00174504

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00174504

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