Double-blind trial of suloctidil versus placebo in moderate to severe mental deterioration

A double-blind, parallel group, placebo-controlled study was carried out in 30 elderly patients with moderate to severe mental deterioration to assess the effect of suloctidil on their mental condition. A battery of clinical and psychometric evaluations failed to demonstrate any significant differences between the two groups at the end of a 6-month treatment period during which patients received either 200 mg suloctidil or placebo 3-times daily. However, further analysis of the results showed that in the sub-group of patients with moderate mental deterioration on entry, suloctidil treatment produced significant improvement from baseline in the Rey 15 words test and the results were significantly different from those in patients with severe mental deterioration. No consistent changes were observed in the placebo group.