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Miyoshi T, Noborio Y, Hoonhwa C, Ishimori Y. Guanfacine for irritability, impulsivity, and agitation in elderly patients: A report of two cases. PCN REPORTS : PSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES 2022; 1:e14. [PMID: 38868640 PMCID: PMC11114348 DOI: 10.1002/pcn5.14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
Background Irritability, impulsivity, and agitation in elderly patients with dementia are highly prevalent and extremely burdening for patients, caregivers, and medical staff. In general hospitals, they have been one of the major problems that develop and disturb care and treatment. However, the mechanisms underlying these symptoms remain unclear, and there is no established treatment. In actual clinical practice, antipsychotic drugs and mood stabilizers have been mainly used as pharmacotherapies for these symptoms, but adverse effects of these drugs have often been problematic. Case Presentation We report two valuable cases of elderly patients who were admitted to our hospital due to physical disorders and developed irritability, impulsivity, and agitation, which were effectively treated with guanfacine at very low doses and in a short period. Conclusion The present cases suggest that guanfacine may be a therapeutic option for treating irritability, impulsivity, and agitation in elderly patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takafumi Miyoshi
- Department of PsychiatryItami City Hospital, Itami‐shiHyogoJapan
| | - Yayoi Noborio
- Department of NursingItami City Hospital, Itami‐shiHyogoJapan
| | - Chang Hoonhwa
- Department of PsychologyItami City Hospital, Itami‐shiHyogoJapan
| | - Yuki Ishimori
- Department of PharmacyItami City Hospital, Itami‐shiHyogoJapan
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Carrarini C, Russo M, Dono F, Barbone F, Rispoli MG, Ferri L, Di Pietro M, Digiovanni A, Ajdinaj P, Speranza R, Granzotto A, Frazzini V, Thomas A, Pilotto A, Padovani A, Onofrj M, Sensi SL, Bonanni L. Agitation and Dementia: Prevention and Treatment Strategies in Acute and Chronic Conditions. Front Neurol 2021; 12:644317. [PMID: 33935943 PMCID: PMC8085397 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.644317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Agitation is a behavioral syndrome characterized by increased, often undirected, motor activity, restlessness, aggressiveness, and emotional distress. According to several observations, agitation prevalence ranges from 30 to 50% in Alzheimer's disease, 30% in dementia with Lewy bodies, 40% in frontotemporal dementia, and 40% in vascular dementia (VaD). With an overall prevalence of about 30%, agitation is the third most common neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in dementia, after apathy and depression, and it is even more frequent (80%) in residents of nursing homes. The pathophysiological mechanism underlying agitation is represented by a frontal lobe dysfunction, mostly involving the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), respectively, meaningful in selecting the salient stimuli and subsequent decision-making and behavioral reactions. Furthermore, increased sensitivity to noradrenergic signaling has been observed, possibly due to a frontal lobe up-regulation of adrenergic receptors, as a reaction to the depletion of noradrenergic neurons within the locus coeruleus (LC). Indeed, LC neurons mainly project toward the OFC and ACC. These observations may explain the abnormal reactivity to weak stimuli and the global arousal found in many patients who have dementia. Furthermore, agitation can be precipitated by several factors, e.g., the sunset or low lighted environments as in the sundown syndrome, hospitalization, the admission to nursing residencies, or changes in pharmacological regimens. In recent days, the global pandemic has increased agitation incidence among dementia patients and generated higher distress levels in patients and caregivers. Hence, given the increasing presence of this condition and its related burden on society and the health system, the present point of view aims at providing an extensive guide to facilitate the identification, prevention, and management of acute and chronic agitation in dementia patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Carrarini
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Mirella Russo
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Fedele Dono
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Filomena Barbone
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Marianna G Rispoli
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Laura Ferri
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Martina Di Pietro
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Anna Digiovanni
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Paola Ajdinaj
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Rino Speranza
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Alberto Granzotto
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.,Behavioral Neurology and Molecular Neurology Units, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology-CAST, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.,Institute for Mind Impairments and Neurological Disorders-iMIND, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Valerio Frazzini
- Behavioral Neurology and Molecular Neurology Units, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology-CAST, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.,Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, ICM, INSERM UMRS 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, France.,AP-HP, GH Pitie-Salpêtrière-Charles Foix, Epilepsy Unit and Neurophysiology Department, Paris, France
| | - Astrid Thomas
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Andrea Pilotto
- Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.,Parkinson's Disease Rehabilitation Centre, FERB ONLUS-S. Isidoro Hospital, Trescore Balneario, Italy
| | - Alessandro Padovani
- Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Marco Onofrj
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.,Behavioral Neurology and Molecular Neurology Units, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology-CAST, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Stefano L Sensi
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.,Behavioral Neurology and Molecular Neurology Units, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology-CAST, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Laura Bonanni
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.,Behavioral Neurology and Molecular Neurology Units, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology-CAST, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
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Husna Ibrahim N, Yahaya MF, Mohamed W, Teoh SL, Hui CK, Kumar J. Pharmacotherapy of Alzheimer's Disease: Seeking Clarity in a Time of Uncertainty. Front Pharmacol 2020; 11:261. [PMID: 32265696 PMCID: PMC7105678 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.00261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is recognized as a major health hazard that mostly affects people older than 60 years. AD is one of the biggest medical, economic, and social concerns to patients and their caregivers. AD was ranked as the 5th leading cause of global deaths in 2016 by the World Health Organization (WHO). Many drugs targeting the production, aggregation, and clearance of Aβ plaques failed to give any conclusive clinical outcomes. This mainly stems from the fact that AD is not a disease attributed to a single-gene mutation. Two hallmarks of AD, Aβ plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), can simultaneously induce other AD etiologies where every pathway is a loop of consequential events. Therefore, the focus of recent AD research has shifted to exploring other etiologies, such as neuroinflammation and central hyperexcitability. Neuroinflammation results from the hyperactivation of microglia and astrocytes that release pro-inflammatory cytokines due to the neurological insults caused by Aβ plaques and NFTs, eventually leading to synaptic dysfunction and neuronal death. This review will report the failures and side effects of many anti-Aβ drugs. In addition, emerging treatments targeting neuroinflammation in AD, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and receptor-interacting serine/threonine protein kinase 1 (RIPK1), that restore calcium dyshomeostasis and microglia physiological function in clearing Aβ plaques, respectively, will be deliberately discussed. Other novel pharmacotherapy strategies in treating AD, including disease-modifying agents (DMTs), repurposing of medications used to treat non-AD illnesses, and multi target-directed ligands (MTDLs) are also reviewed. These approaches open new doors to the development of AD therapy, especially combination therapy that can cater for several targets simultaneously, hence effectively slowing or stopping AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nurul Husna Ibrahim
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Mohamad Fairuz Yahaya
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Wael Mohamed
- Basic Medical Science Department, Kulliyyah of Medicine, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan, Malaysia
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Menoufia University, Shebin El-Kom, Egypt
| | - Seong Lin Teoh
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Chua Kien Hui
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Glycofood Sdn Bhd, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Jaya Kumar
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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