SynthesisPsychopharmacology2022
Efficacy of methylphenidate for the treatment of apathy in patients with Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies.
Synthesis in Psychopharmacology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Apathy Associated with Alzheimer's Disease.Current Alzheimer research · 2024Pooled it
- Mapping new pharmacological interventions for cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Pooled it
- Depression and apathy in frontotemporal dementia: a short assessment of facts and outlook.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2026Review
- Review of Selected 2-Phenylethylamine Derivatives and Opioids, Systematic Review of Their Effects on Psychomotor Abilities and Driving Performance: Psychopharmacology in the Context of Road Safety.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Psychoactive substances: novel molecular insights and therapeutic potential for Alzheimer's disease.Translational neurodegeneration · 2025Review
- Apathy in Neuropsychiatric Disorders: Clinical Characteristics, Neurobiological Mechanisms, and Therapeutic Strategies.Behavioural neurology · 2025Review
- Medications for apathy in dementia.Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien · 2024Article
- An Update on Apathy in Alzheimer's Disease.Geriatrics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Apathy as a determinant of health behaviors in older adults: Implications for dementia risk reduction.Alzheimer's & dementia (Amsterdam, Netherlands)Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
rationaleDespite the reported efficacy of methylphenidate (MET) against Alzheimer's disease (AD)-associated apathy, a recent larger clinical trial was not included in pooled analysis.
objectivesThis study aimed at investigating the efficacy of MET for attenuating apathy in patients diagnosed with AD.
methodsThe PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE databases were searched from inception until March, 2022 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The primary outcome was apathy improvement assessed with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) apathy subscale, Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES), or Clinical Global Impressions of Change scale (CGI-C apathy).
resultsMeta-analysis of four RCTs revealed an improvement in apathy among patients receiving MET compared to placebo (MD = - 5.12, p = 0.04, three trials, 144 participants) at follow-ups of 1-3 months assessed with AES score. Despite the absence of improvement on NPI-apathy subscale at follow-ups of 1-2 months (MD = - 0.74, p = 0.37, three trials, 265 participants), significant improvement was noted at follow-ups of 6 months (MD = - 1.4, p = 0.02, one trial, 180 participants). Assessment with CGI-C apathy revealed no significant association between improvement in apathy with MET use (RR = 1.38, p = 0.05, three trials, 265 participants). No significant differences in global cognitive function (using the Mini Mental State Exam) or adverse events were noted between the two groups.
conclusionWhile AES score suggested an early attenuation effect of MET on apathy in different domains, the NPI-apathy subscale did not show early improvement in apathy until the 6-month follow-up. Further studies with longer follow-ups are needed to elucidate the efficacy of MET for relieving caregiver burden and improving global functional performance.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.