Bishara D, Perera G, Harwood D, et al. - Factors underlying the choice of psychotropics rather than the agents themselves are described, although no support was evident for a strong role for central anticholinergic drug actions on dementia outcomes.

• Data of patients with a dementia diagnosis receiving antidepressant and/or antipsychotic medication (N = 4,380 and N = 2,335 respectively) was analyzed.

• A reduced mortality risk was evident for people receiving agents with high central anticholinergic burden relative to those with no or low burden.

• The reduced risk was statistically significant in the antidepressant cohort.

• Accelerated cognitive decline was observed in patients on antidepressants with no central anticholinergic burden vs other groups.

• No differences were evident in the antipsychotic cohort.

• Antidepressant or antipsychotic-related central anticholinergic burden and hospitalization did not show significant associations.