Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40530730›Full record

Observational studyCurrent Alzheimer research2025

Efficacy of Sodium Valproate in Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia: A Retrospective Observational Study from PUMCH Dementia Cohort.

Yuyue Qiu, Li Shang, Tianyi Wang, Yuhan Jiang, Jialu Bao, Wenjun Wang, Bo Li, Yixuan Huang, Liling Dong, Chenhui Mao and 1 more

Abstract readObservational Study
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in Current Alzheimer research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Yuyue QiuDepartment of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Peking Union Medical College Hospital Translational Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Beijing 100730, China.ORCID 0009-0004-3058-1253
Li ShangDepartment of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Peking Union Medical College Hospital Translational Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Beijing 100730, China.
Tianyi WangDepartment of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Peking Union Medical College Hospital Translational Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Beijing 100730, China.
Yuhan JiangDepartment of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Peking Union Medical College Hospital Translational Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Beijing 100730, China.
Jialu BaoDepartment of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Peking Union Medical College Hospital Translational Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Beijing 100730, China.
Wenjun WangDepartment of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Peking Union Medical College Hospital Translational Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Beijing 100730, China.
Bo LiDepartment of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Peking Union Medical College Hospital Translational Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Beijing 100730, China.
Yixuan HuangDepartment of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Peking Union Medical College Hospital Translational Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Beijing 100730, China.
Liling DongDepartment of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Peking Union Medical College Hospital Translational Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Beijing 100730, China.
Chenhui MaoDepartment of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Peking Union Medical College Hospital Translational Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Beijing 100730, China.
Jing GaoDepartment of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Peking Union Medical College Hospital Translational Medical Center, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Beijing 100730, China.

Funding

CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (CIFMS) 2021-I2M-1-020National High-Level Hospital Clinical Research Funding 2022-PUMCH-A-254, 2022-PUMCH-D-007National Key Research and Development Program of China 2020YFA0804501, 2020YFA0804500
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionBehavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) pose significant challenges for individuals with dementia and their caregivers. Agitation symptoms, in particular, present a complex management dilemma as there is a lack of consensus regarding pharmacotherapy, specifically with respect to the controversial use of valproate formulations. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of valproate treatment in addressing BPSD, with a specific focus on managing agitation symptoms in individuals with dementia.

methodsA retrospective analysis was conducted at Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) on patients diagnosed with BPSD who received valproate formulations between 2013 and 2023. Patients were classified into 'effective,' 'ineffective,' and 'unknown' groups based on their response to valproate treatment, and the distribution of BPSD symptoms between the effective and ineffective groups was compared.

resultsAmong the 116 patients studied, 62.1% exhibited effective responses, 12.1% showed ineffectiveness, and 25.9% had uncertain outcomes with valproate therapy. While the effective group displayed a higher prevalence of agitation symptoms and other behaviors like wandering, restricted and repetitive behaviors, and sleep disturbances compared to the ineffective group, these differences did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.156, 1.000, 0.899, 0.283). Patients in the ineffective group were more likely to experience aggression with comorbid psychotic symptoms compared to those in the effective group (p = 0.023). DISCUSSION: Valproate may benefit agitation-predominant BPSD without psychosis. Discrepancies in prior findings may stem from differing dosing strategies. Its limited efficacy in psychosis-related aggression underscores the need for careful clinical evaluation.

conclusionThe findings suggest that tailored valproate treatment at low doses may be beneficial in managing agitation without psychosis in Asian BPSD patients. Further validation through randomized controlled trials is essential to substantiate these observations.

Indexed as

Behavioral SymptomsDementiaPsychomotor AgitationValproic AcidAgedAged, 80 and overCohort StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeValproic Acidaberrant motor behavior in dementiaaggressionbehavioral and psychological symptomsDementiadementia agitationpsychomotor agitationvalproic acid.

Identifiers

PMID40530730

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.