Short-Term Memory in Healthy Elderly Patients With Memory Complaints May Be Improved by Phosphatidylserine Plus Omega-3 Fatty Acid: Presented at ADI
By Jenny Powers
THESSALONIKI, Greece -- March 16, 2010 -- Short-term memory, as measured by immediate verbal recall, was significantly improved after treatment with a novel compound of phosphatidylserine (PS), according to data presented here on March 11 at the 25th Conference of Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI).
This study conducted by Veronica Vakhapova, MD, Neurology Department, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel, and Amos D. Korczyn, MD, Tel Aviv University Medical School, Ramat Aviv, Israel, tested a novel preparation of PS containing omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids attached to its backbone (PS-DHA) to determine whether the preparation has beneficial effects on cognitive functions.
This double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of PS-DHA in healthy elderly individuals who had memory complaints but had not been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or any form of dementia. Participants (n = 157) were randomised to receive PS-DHA 300 mg daily (n = 79) or placebo (n = 78) for 15 weeks. Evaluations of cognitive function at baseline and study end were made with the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test and at weeks 7 and 15 by the Clinicians’ Global Impression of Change (CGIC) scale.
Of the 131 participants who completed the study, 9 were excluded from the efficacy analysis due to protocol violation. Of the remaining 122 individuals, and 53% of the patients in the PS-DHA group showed improved immediate recall (P = .05) versus the placebo group. Nonsignificant improvement in total learning ability was seen in the PS-DHA group.
A subset analysis of individuals who demonstrated better baseline scores on CGIC showed that 37% of them had nonsignificant improvement in CGIC scores.
The treatment was well tolerated.
The researchers concluded that PS-DHA had benefit and may improve short-term memory in elderly individuals with memory complaints and that a stronger response may be seen in patients with less memory disturbance.
[Presentation title: Phosphatidylserine Containing Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Improve Memory Abilities in Non-Demented Elderly With Memory Complaints: A Double Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial. Abstract OC054]
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