P4-360: Improved cognition in Alzheimer's disease with a partial nicotinic agonist as assessed with cogtest

Assessing the effects of drug treatments on cognition in clinical trials of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has provided many challenges to researchers. Current FDA accepted cognitive assessment tools are limited and are, in many respects insensitive to detect change in short term studies. Given that there are many potential therapies emerging, the need for tools to assess cognition and detect change becomes urgent. A randomized, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled study using several different doses of a partial nicotinic agonist or placebo in 60 male and female patients with probable AD was undertaken for 28 days. Cognition was assessed on Days 0, and 28 using the ADAS cog and the following Cogtest Computerized Tests (www.cogtest.com); Digit Span Forward and Backward, Auditory Number Sequencing, Word List Memory, Symbol Digit Substitution, Choice Reaction Time, Simple Reaction Time, and Tower of London. Cognitive data were converted to z scores, based on the Cogtest normative database. Individual tests and cognitive domains were examined. Using mixed linear models we found an interaction effect for the immediate memory domain (F=2.7, p