A crossover trial of bromocriptine in the treatment of vascular dementia

Seven patients with vascular dementia completed an 8-month randomized double-blind crossover trial of bromocriptine in a dosage of up to 30 mg per day. Patients were assessed using a modified UCLA Parkinson Rating Scale of symptoms and signs, and neuropsychological testing including the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised, Wechsler Memory Scale, modified Thurstone Word Fluency Test, Wisconsin Card Sort, a test of visual vigilance, and a reaction time task. Subjects failed to perform significantly better on any measure while on bromocriptine, and on several measures their performance while on the drug was worse.