Efficacy and Safety Study of Shenwu Capsule

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) refers to a group of individuals who have some cognitive impairment but of insufficient severity to constitute dementia1,which is a transitional stage between normal aging and dementia. Amnestic MCI is the most common subtype of MCI, which shows the least reversion to normal, and is defined as a significant impairment in memory but with no impairment in activities of daily living. In an interventional study of patients meeting Petersen criteria for amnestic MCI, 16% progressed to dementia per year, 99% of whom received an AD diagnosis. Hence, MCI, in particular amnestic MCI is generally recognized in many cases to represent prodromal AD and becomes a new target for prevention and treatment of AD.

The specific aims for the study is to evaluate change in Efficacy and safety of shenwu capsule in treating amnestic MCI. Using a randomized controlled parallel group design, 324 older adults diagnosed with amnestic MCI participate in a 6-month supervised protocol of either shenwu capsule or donepezil. Cognitive testing and blood collection will occur at baseline, and months 3 and 6. Before the 6-month intervention, medial temporal atrophy (MTA) or hippocampal volume atrophy on the CT or MRI scan are assessed for all subjects. The results of this study may provide support for a safer and inexpensive treatment strategy that specifically targets individuals with the mild cognitive impairment that directly influence risk of developing dementia for older adults.

Inclusion criteria

• Chinese-speaking adults at least 55 to 80 years of age old, weighting between 45 to 90 kilograms, living in the community.
• diagnosed with amnestic MCI at screening: (1) memory complaint, corroborated by an informant; (2) abnormal memory function, as screened by the WMS-R Logical Memory II Delayed Story Recall subtest score <10.4 for age; (3) normal general cognitive function, as determined by a clinician's judgment based on a structured interview with the patients (MMSE of 24 to 30 score for education ); (4) no or minimal impairment in activities of daily living, as determined by a clinical interview with the patient and informant (IADL <16 score); and (5) not sufficiently impaired, cognitively and functionally, to meet NINCDS-ADRDA criteria for AD, as judged by an experienced AD research clinician. In addition, they were judged to be at stage 2-3 of the GDS, and to have a score of ≤12 of the HAMD for 17 items, of ≤4 on the HIS, and no or minimal medial temporal atrophy (MTA) or hippocampal volume atrophy on the MRI scan.
• The subjects required adequate vision and hearing to participate in study assessments. Patients receiving chronic aspirin therapy for cardio-protection (≤100 mg per day) or stable doses of antidepressants for at least 3 months were also eligible.

Exclusion criteria

• Significant neurologic disease that might affect cognition, such as a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, stroke, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, or severe head injury with loss of consciousness; a score of MMSE<24,or any major psychiatric disorder (e.g., DSM-IV-defined psychosis, major depression, bipolar disorder, or alcohol or substance abuse);
• Recent history of chronic use of NSAIDs or aspirin (>100 mg per day);
• History of upper gastrointestinal bleeding that required transfusion or surgery within the previous 3 years,or documented evidence of an active gastric or duodenal ulcer within the previous 3 months,or history of NSAID-associated ulcers;
• History of active malignancy except for basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, or prostate cancer, within the preceding 24 months;
• A chronic or acute renal, hepatic, or metabolic disorder; and uncontrolled hypertension and diabetes mellitus;
• History of hypersensitivity to the treatment drugs; or concomitant drugs (including anticonvulsant agents, anti-parkinsonian agents, antipsychotics, anxiolytics, hypnotic agents, neuroleptic agents, cholinomimetic agents, vitamin E, or ginkgo biloba extract or any other drugs including traditional Chinese herbal medicines which can affect memory); or participants in other clinical studies within the past 30 days.