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Recent developments in geriatric psychopharmacology.
Awais Aftab1, Jeffrey A Lam2, Fred Liu3
1Department of Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology
|January 27, 2021
Summary
Recent geriatric psychiatry advances focus on Alzheimer's disease (AD) treatments and diagnostics. Novel medications show promise for dementia symptoms, but ketamine and cannabinoids lack proven efficacy in older adults.
Area of Science:
- Geriatric Psychiatry
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Growing need for geriatric psychiatric disorder management.
- Recent focus on Alzheimer's disease (AD), severe depression, and end-of-life care.
Purpose of the Study:
- Review recent developments in geriatric psychiatry.
- Highlight advancements in AD, depression, and palliative care treatments.
Main Methods:
- Non-systematic narrative review.
- Searched PubMed, Google Scholar, Medscape, ClinicalTrials.gov (last 6 years).
- Covered AD therapies, radiotracers, dementia symptom medications, ketamine, psychedelics, and cannabinoids.
Main Results:
- Anti-amyloid agents in Phase 3 for early AD; aducanumab under FDA review.
- Amyloid and tau PET scans approved for AD diagnosis.
- Pimavanserin, brexpiprazole, escitalopram, dextromethorphan/quinidine, and lithium show promise for dementia symptoms.
- Esketamine ineffective in elderly in Phase 3; psychedelic-assisted therapy shows preliminary benefit for end-of-life/cancer depression.
- Cannabinoid evidence is currently lacking.
Conclusions:
- Early-stage AD diagnostics and treatments are advancing.
- Several pharmaceuticals offer potential for neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia.
- Esketamine and cannabinoids have limited demonstrated efficacy in geriatric populations.
- Psychedelics show preliminary promise in specific palliative care contexts.
Keywords:
Alzheimer’s diseaseGeriatric psychiatryanti-amyloid agentscannabinoidsdementiadiagnostic radiotracersesketamineneuropsychiatric symptomspsychedelicspsychopharmacologytreatment-resistant depressionMore Related Videos
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