JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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Review Meta Analysis
Efficacy of cholinesterase inhibitors in the treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms and functional impairment in Alzheimer disease: a meta-analysis.
Cholinesterase inhibitors are the primary treatment for the cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer disease (AD). Cholinergic dysfunction is also associated with neuropsychiatric and functional deficits, but results from randomized controlled trials of cholinesterase inhibitors are conflicting. ⋯ These results indicate that cholinesterase inhibitors have a modest beneficial impact on neuropsychiatric and functional outcomes for patients with AD. Future research should focus on how such improvements translate into long-term outcomes such as patient quality of life, institutionalization, and caregiver burden.