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Donepezil in patients with subcortical vascular cognitive impairment: a randomised double-blind trial in CADASIL
Dichgans M, Markus HS, Salloway S, Verkkoniemi A, Moline M, Wang Q, Posner H, Chabriat HS.. The Lancet. Neurology, 2008-02-28
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Background Cholinergic deficits might contribute to vascular cognitive impairment. Trials of cholinesterase inhibitors in patients with vascular dementia are difficult because of heterogeneous disease mechanisms and overlap between vascular and Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology in the age-group recruited. Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leucoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is a genetic form of subcortical ischaemic vascular dementia.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Dichgans, M., Markus, H. S., Salloway, S., Verkkoniemi, A., Moline, M., Wang, Q., et al. (2008). Donepezil in patients with subcortical vascular cognitive impairment: a randomised double-blind trial in CADASIL. The Lancet. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1474-4422(08)70046-2
Vancouver
Dichgans M, Markus HS, Salloway S, Verkkoniemi A, Moline M, Wang Q, et al. Donepezil in patients with subcortical vascular cognitive impairment: a randomised double-blind trial in CADASIL. The Lancet. Neurology. 2008. doi:10.1016/s1474-4422(08)70046-2. PMID: 18296124.
BibTeX
@article{dichgans2008-18296124,
author = {Dichgans, M. and Markus, H. S. and Salloway, S. and Verkkoniemi, A. and Moline, M. and Wang, Q. and Posner, H. and Chabriat, H. S.},
title = {{Donepezil in patients with subcortical vascular cognitive impairment: a randomised double-blind trial in CADASIL}},
journal = {The Lancet. Neurology},
year = {2008},
doi = {10.1016/s1474-4422(08)70046-2},
pmid = {18296124},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/s1474-4422(08)70046-2}
}
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 names 8 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Trials of cholinesterase inhibitors in patients with vascular dementia are difficult because of heterogeneous disease mechanisms and overlap between vascular and Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology in the age-group recruited.
- Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leucoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is a genetic form of subcortical ischaemic vascular dementia.
- It represents a homogeneous disease process, and because of CADASIL's early onset, comorbid AD pathology is rare.
- We did a multicentre, 18-week, placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomised parallel-group trial to determine whether the cholinesterase inhibitor donepezil improves cognition in patients with CADASIL.
Why it matters
This trial tested donepezil in patients with a genetic form of subcortical vascular dementia called CADASIL, a group chosen because they have a single, uniform disease process. The study text does not report whether donepezil improved cognition, so no conclusion about treating this dementia can be drawn from it.
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Study details
- Participants86
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 71/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a randomised controlled trial. Scored zero for effect reported because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (The Lancet. Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | The Lancet Neurology: journal h-index 457 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 11 / 12 | A randomised controlled trial (from PubMed type “Randomized Controlled Trial”) |
| 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 | 1 / 5 | 2008 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 86 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 2 / 2 | Randomised and blinded or placebo-controlled (as stated in the record) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 268 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 13.4 citations a year over 20 year(s) since 2008 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 13.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 15 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 34 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Hugues Chabriat: h-index 87 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Inserm: institution h-index 1,988 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 9 institution(s) in 5 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 18296124) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 71 / 100 | — |
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