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Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia: Recommendations for the Pharmacological Treatment of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms
Gihwan Byeon, Dong Woo Kang, Yeshin Kim, Geon Ha Kim, Ko Woon Kim, Hee-jin Kim, Seunghee Na, Kee Hyung Park et al.. Dementia and Neurocognitive Disorders, 2025-01-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Recommendations vary by medication type and symptom severity. Antipsychotics, such as risperidone, are conditionally recommended for managing aggression and psychosis in dementia, while antidepressants, specifically citalopram, are advised for agitation in Alzheimer's disease. Cognitive enhancers, including cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine, showed moderate efficacy for general BPSD improvement and rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder in Lewy body dementia. Specific drugs, like pimavanserin, demonstrated efficacy in addressing psychosis in Alzheimer's patients. These guidelines provide a structured approach to pharmacological management of BPSD in dementia, addressing efficacy and safety profiles across drug categories. The recommendations emphasize personalized treatment plans to optimize therapeutic outcomes while minimizing risks, with a conditional approach suggested in cases with limited evidence.
Key findings
- Recommendations vary by medication type and symptom severity.
- Antipsychotics, such as risperidone, are conditionally recommended for managing aggression and psychosis in dementia, while antidepressants, specifically citalopram, are advised for agitation in Alzheimer's disease.
- Cognitive enhancers, including cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine, showed moderate efficacy for general BPSD improvement and rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder in Lewy body dementia.
- Specific drugs, like pimavanserin, demonstrated efficacy in addressing psychosis in Alzheimer's patients.
- These guidelines provide a structured approach to pharmacological management of BPSD in dementia, addressing efficacy and safety profiles across drug categories.
Why it matters
These guidelines recommend specific medications for behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, including risperidone for aggression and psychosis, citalopram for agitation in Alzheimer's disease, and cognitive enhancers for general symptoms. They address symptom management only, not curing or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 48/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Dementia and Neurocognitive Disorders) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Dementia and Neurocognitive Disorders: journal h-index 25 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 3 / 7 | Cited 16 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 5.3 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 10.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 2 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 16 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Jae‐Won Jang: h-index 27 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Seoul National University: institution h-index 1,053 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 3 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 30 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 39944528) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 48 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.12779/dnd.2025.24.1.24
- PubMed: 39944528
- Original source →
- Free full text: Dementia and Neurocognitive Disorders →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Byeon, G., Kang, D. W., Kim, Y., Kim, G. H., Kim, K. W., Kim, H.-j., et al. (2025). Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia: Recommendations for the Pharmacological Treatment of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms. Dementia and Neurocognitive Disorders. https://doi.org/10.12779/dnd.2025.24.1.24
Vancouver
Byeon G, Kang DW, Kim Y, Kim GH, Kim KW, Kim H.-j, et al. Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia: Recommendations for the Pharmacological Treatment of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms. Dementia and Neurocognitive Disorders. 2025. doi:10.12779/dnd.2025.24.1.24. PMID: 39944528.
BibTeX
@article{byeon2025-39944528,
author = {Byeon, Gihwan and Kang, Dong Woo and Kim, Yeshin and Kim, Geon Ha and Kim, Ko Woon and Kim, Hee-jin and Na, Seunghee and Park, Kee Hyung and others},
title = {{Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia: Recommendations for the Pharmacological Treatment of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms}},
journal = {Dementia and Neurocognitive Disorders},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.12779/dnd.2025.24.1.24},
pmid = {39944528},
url = {https://doi.org/10.12779/dnd.2025.24.1.24}
}
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