A Pilot Study to Explore the Safety and Tolerability of Galantamine HBr in the Treatment of Pick Complex/Frontotemporal Dementia - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.govThe purpose of this study is to explore the safety and tolerability and the efficacy of galantamine treatment in subjects with Pick Complex/ Frontotemporal Dementia (PC/FTD). The safety and tolerability of galantamine therapy will be assessed over the entire treatment period (26 weeks). The 8 week withdrawal period will be used to confirm the safety of galantamine withdrawal in this subject group and it impact on any symptom improvement achieved during the first 18 weeks of galantamine treatment ( symptom improvement would be expected to stabilize or decline on withdrawal of an effective therapy). The primary efficacy objective is to explore the effect of galantamine on behavior as measured by the Frontal Behavioral Inventory during the randomized withdrawal period. In addition, for subjects with primary progressive aphasia (limited ability for languages), the effects of galantamine on language will be explored using the Aphasia Quotient of the Western Aphasia Battery, and for all subjects the Clinical Global Impressions will be used to explore global change.Pick Complex (PC) and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) are a group of neurodegenerative dementias, initially characterized by frontotemporal lobar atrophy, that have overlapping clinical presentations and pathologic findings. Although the pathogenesis of Pick Complex/Frontotemporal Dementia remains unknown, and the neurotransmitter changes in Pick Complex/Frontotemporal Dementia are not well characterized, there is evidence for decreased cholinergic receptor binding in several cortical regions and decreased serotonin binding in the hypothalamus, frontal cortex, and temporal cortex. Galantamine is a reversible cholinesterase inhibitor. Recent studies indicate that galantamine is also an allosteric modulator at nicotinic cholinergic receptor sites.
