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Minocycline at 2 Different Dosages vs Placebo for Patients With Mild Alzheimer Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Howard R, Zubko O, Bradley R, Harper E, Pank L, O'Brien J, Fox C, Tabet N et al.. JAMA neurology, 2020-02-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Importance There are no disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia. Minocycline is anti-inflammatory, protects against the toxic effects of β-amyloid in vitro and in animal models of AD, and is a credible repurposed treatment candidate. Objective To determine whether 24 months of minocycline treatment can modify cognitive and functional decline in patients with mild AD. Design, setting, and participants Participants were recruited into a double-blind randomized clinical trial from May 23, 2014, to April 14, 2016, with 24 months of treatment and follow-up. This multicenter study in England and Scotland involved 32 National Health Service memory clinics within secondary specialist services for people with dementia. From 886 screened patients, 554 patients with a diagnosis of mild AD (Standardised Mini-Mental State Examination [sMMSE] score ≥24) were randomized. Interventions Participants were randomly allocated 1:1:1 in a semifactorial design to receive minocycline (400 mg/d or 200 mg/d) or placebo for 24 months. Main outcomes and measures Primary outcome measures were decrease in sMMSE score and Bristol Activities of Daily Living Scale (BADLS), analyzed by intention-to-treat repeated-measures regression. Results Of 544 eligible participants (241 women and 303 men), the mean (SD) age was 74.3 (8.2) years, and the mean (SD) sMMSE score was 26.4 (1.9). Fewer participants completed 400-mg minocycline hydrochloride treatment (28.8% [53 of 184]) than 200-mg minocycline treatment (61.9% [112 of 181]) or placebo (63.7% [114 of 179]; P Conclusions and relevance Minocycline did not delay the progress of cognitive or functional impairment in people with mild AD during a 2-year period. This study also found that 400 mg of minocycline is poorly tolerated in this population. Trial registration isrctn.org Identifier: ISRCTN16105064.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Howard, R., Zubko, O., Bradley, R., Harper, E., Pank, L., O'Brien, J., et al. (2020). Minocycline at 2 Different Dosages vs Placebo for Patients With Mild Alzheimer Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA neurology. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2019.3762
Vancouver
Howard R, Zubko O, Bradley R, Harper E, Pank L, O'Brien J, et al. Minocycline at 2 Different Dosages vs Placebo for Patients With Mild Alzheimer Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA neurology. 2020. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2019.3762. PMID: 31738372.
BibTeX
@article{howard2020-31738372,
author = {Howard, R. and Zubko, O. and Bradley, R. and Harper, E. and Pank, L. and O'Brien, J. and Fox, C. and Tabet, N. and others},
title = {{Minocycline at 2 Different Dosages vs Placebo for Patients With Mild Alzheimer Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial}},
journal = {JAMA neurology},
year = {2020},
doi = {10.1001/jamaneurol.2019.3762},
pmid = {31738372},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2019.3762}
}
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Key findings
- Results Of 544 eligible participants (241 women and 303 men), the mean (SD) age was 74.3 (8.2) years, and the mean (SD) sMMSE score was 26.4 (1.9).
Why it matters
This trial tested whether minocycline could slow cognitive and functional decline in people with mild Alzheimer disease over 24 months. The available text does not report the main results, so no conclusion about its effect can be drawn from this summary.
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Study details
- Participants554
- Effect size28.8%; 61.9%; 63.7%
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 79/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a randomised controlled trial. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 76 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 79 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (JAMA neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | JAMA Neurology: journal h-index 235 (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 | 2 / 5 | 2020 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 554 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| 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 193 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 24.1 citations a year over 8 year(s) since 2020 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 13.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 10 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 75 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Oxford: institution h-index 2,205 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 3 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 13 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 31738372) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 76 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 76 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 79 out of 100. |
| Total | 79 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2019.3762
- PubMed: 31738372
- Original source →
- Free full text: JAMA Neurology →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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