The effect of vasopressin treatment on learning in Down's syndrome

Vasopressin is reported to enhance learning and memory in animal models. In 9 Down's syndrome patients DDAVP, a vasopressin derivative, was administered for 10 days, 40 micrograms per day, in a double-blind randomized crossover design. A visual-verbal paired associate learning test showed a not significant tendency for benefit with DDAVP. Word List memory was not improved with DDAVP treatment.