Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access originally published online on November 5, 2007
Alcohol and Alcoholism 2008 43(1):70-72; doi:10.1093/alcalc/agm158
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Case Report
Rivastigmine in Wernicke-Korsakoff's syndrome: Five patients with rivastigmine showed no more improvement than five patients without rivastigmine
1 Parnassia Groep, The Hague, The Netherlands
2 Department of Neurology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
3 Department of Research ParnassiaGroep, The Hague, The Netherlands
4 Parnassia Addiction Research Centre, The Hague, The Netherlands
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed at: Parnassia-Medical Center, Jan Hein Donnerstraat 53, 2553 RZ The Hague, The Netherlands. Tel: (+003) 170 391 6900; Fax: (003) 170 391 6369; E-mail: luykxj{at}parnassia.nl
Received 26 October 2006; first review notified 1 December 2006; in revised form 6 July 2007; accepted 2 October 2007
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Abstract |
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Aims: To evaluate whether rivastigmine, an achetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AChEl), may be effective in restoring memory in Wernicke-Korsakoff's syndrome (WKS). Methods: Five patients treated with rivastigmine for a period of 6 months were compared with five matched control patients, who received 6 months' conventional treatment, but without rivastigmine. Memory tests were administered at baseline and after 6 months. Results: Slight improvements were observed in both rivastigmine and control patients, but no significant differences in improvements were found between the study groups. Conclusion: Treatment with rivastigmine may not be effective in restoring memory in WKS patients.