Abstract:
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: To investigate effectiveness of donepezil hydrochloride (Aricept®) in treating persistent memory deficits in persons with traumatic brain injury.

RESEARCH DESIGN: Single subject ABAC design was used so that each participant could serve as their own control.

METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Seven TBI survivors with persistent memory dysfunction, at least 1 ½ years post-injury, underwent two, six-month trials of Aricept®. The following tests were used to assess memory and cognition: Brief Visual Memory Test-Revised (BVMT-R), Hopkins Verbal Learning Test, Digit Span and Letter Number Sequence subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III, Controlled Oral Word Association Test, and Memory Functioning Questionnaire.

EXPERIMENTAL INTERVENTION: During first treatment phase, participants received 5mg/day of Aricept® for one month, increasing to 10mg/day of Aricept® for an additional five months. During second treatment phase, participants received 5mg/day of Aricept® for the entire six months.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: A repeated measures analysis of variance indicated significant improvement on immediate and delayed memory portions of the BVMT-R when taking 10mg/day of Aricept®.

CONCLUSIONS: Findings contribute to the growing body of research into the use of Aricept® in treating memory deficits in TBI survivors and support need for further research.