QUICK STUDY : A weekly digest of new research on major health topics

cognitive decline

Some drugs may precipitate loss of mental skills in older people.

· THE QUESTION A variety of drugs -- antihistamines, antidepressants, analgesics, anti-inflammatories and more -- are classified as anticholinergics because they block the transmission of particular nerve impulses. When taken by older people, might these drugs affect cognitive abilities?

· THIS STUDY analyzed medical and neurological data on 327 people older than 60 who had no evidence of dementia; 30 people (9 percent) took at least one anticholinergic drug for at least a year, and the others took none. After a year, 80 percent of those who took the drugs consistently, compared with 35 percent of the group that took no anticholinergics, had been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (based on tests of such things as reaction time, attention, recall and verbal fluency). But after eight years, diagnoses of overall dementia were nearly the same: 16 percent among those who took the drugs, 14 percent for those who did not.

· WHO MAY BE AFFECTED BY THESE FINDINGS? Older people taking anticholinergics. Many nursing home residents take at least two such drugs.

· CAVEATS The study did not specify the effects of each of the 27 anticholinergic compounds taken by participants.

· FIND THIS STUDY Feb. 1 online edition of BMJ; abstract available at http://www.bmj.com (click "Online first").

· LEARN MORE ABOUT cognitive change and aging at http://www.mayoclinic.com (search for "expand your mind") and http://www.cdc.gov/aging (click "Health Information for Older Adults," then "Mental Health").

--Linda Searing

The research described in Quick Study comes from credible, peer-reviewed journals. Nonetheless, conclusive evidence about a treatment's effectiveness is rarely found in a single study. Anyone considering changing or beginning treatment of any kind should consult with a physician.