Home › Research › Mild cognitive impairment
Maintenance treatment of depression in old age: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled evaluation of the efficacy and safety of donepezil combined with antidepressant pharmacotherapy
Reynolds CF, Butters MA, Lopez O, Pollock BG, Dew MA, Mulsant BH, Lenze EJ, Holm M et al.. Archives of general psychiatry, 2011-01-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Results Donepezil and antidepressant therapy temporarily improved global cognition (treatment × time interaction, F₂,₂₁₆ = 3.78; P = .03), but effect sizes were small (Cohen d = 0.27, group difference at 1 year). Post hoc subgroup analyses showed that of 57 participants with mild cognitive impairment, 3 of 30 participants (10% [95% CI, 0%-21%]) receiving donepezil and 9 of 27 participants (33% [95% CI, 16%-51%]) receiving placebo had a conversion to dementia over 2 years (Fisher exact test, P = .05).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Reynolds, C. F., Butters, M. A., Lopez, O., Pollock, B. G., Dew, M. A., Mulsant, B. H., et al. (2011). Maintenance treatment of depression in old age: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled evaluation of the efficacy and safety of donepezil combined with antidepressant pharmacotherapy. Archives of general psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.184
Vancouver
Reynolds CF, Butters MA, Lopez O, Pollock BG, Dew MA, Mulsant BH, et al. Maintenance treatment of depression in old age: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled evaluation of the efficacy and safety of donepezil combined with antidepressant pharmacotherapy. Archives of general psychiatry. 2011. doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.184. PMID: 21199965.
BibTeX
@article{reynolds2011-21199965,
author = {Reynolds, C. F. and Butters, M. A. and Lopez, O. and Pollock, B. G. and Dew, M. A. and Mulsant, B. H. and Lenze, E. J. and Holm, M. and others},
title = {{Maintenance treatment of depression in old age: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled evaluation of the efficacy and safety of donepezil combined with antidepressant pharmacotherapy}},
journal = {Archives of general psychiatry},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.184},
pmid = {21199965},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.184}
}
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.
Key findings
- Results Donepezil and antidepressant therapy temporarily improved global cognition (treatment × time interaction, F₂,₂₁₆ = 3.78; P = .03), but effect sizes were small (Cohen d = 0.27, group difference at 1 year).
- Post hoc subgroup analyses showed that of 57 participants with mild cognitive impairment, 3 of 30 participants (10% [95% CI, 0%-21%]) receiving donepezil and 9 of 27 participants (33% [95% CI, 16%-51%]) receiving placebo had a conversion to dementia over 2 years (Fisher exact test, P = .05).
Why it matters
Donepezil plus antidepressant therapy temporarily improved global cognition in older adults with depression, but the effect sizes were small. In a post hoc subgroup of 57 participants with mild cognitive impairment, fewer on donepezil converted to dementia than on placebo, but this was a secondary analysis of a small group and needs confirmation.
Study details
- Participants73
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 70/100
Published in a peer-reviewed 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 | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Archives of general psychiatry) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Archives of General Psychiatry: journal h-index 543 (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 | 2011 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 73 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 171 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 10.1 citations a year over 17 year(s) since 2011 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 12.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 6 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 19 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Steven T. DeKosky: h-index 132 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Washington University in St. Louis: institution h-index 1,962 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 21199965) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 70 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.184
- PubMed: 21199965
- Original source →
- Free full text: PubMed Central →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Related
Studies in the library that share something with this one. The line above each title says what.
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here. Showing 12 of 14.
Later studies that cite this one
6 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references.
Related studies in Mild cognitive impairment
Also tagged “double-blind”
783 studies in the library carry the topic tag “double-blind”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 783 tagged studies.