Mintzer J, Lanctôt KL, Scherer RW, et al. - Findings demonstrate safety as well as efficacy of methylphenidate as a treatment option for apathy in Alzheimer disease.

• A multicenter randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial of 200 participants with Alzheimer disease, mild to moderate cognitive impairment, and frequent and/or severe apathy as measured by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), who were assigned to methylphenidate (n=99) or placebo (n=101).

• With methylphenidate, a larger decrease from baseline to 6 months in the NPI apathy score was achieved vs placebo (mean difference, −1.25; 95% CI, −2.03 to −0.47).

• In the first 100 days, the largest reduction in the NPI apathy score was evident, with a significant hazard ratio for the proportion of participants with no apathy symptoms taking methylphenidate vs placebo (hazard ratio, 2.16).

• The odds ratio of having an improved rating on the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study Clinical Global Impression of Change for methylphenidate vs placebo, at 6 months, was 1.90.

• No serious adverse event was caused by the study drug, and safety profile did not differ significantly between treatment groups.