Efficacy of cytidine diphosphate choline in patients affected by chronic cerebrovascular disease

The efficacy of cytidine diphosphate choline (CDP-choline) on chronic cerebrovascular disease was evaluated in a multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Cognitive and behavioural functions were evaluated in 31 patients using rating scales and psychometric tests. The patients were randomly assigned to 2 groups, and received either CDP-choline Ig or placebo in 1 vial intramuscularly per day for 3 cycles of 28 days each. Statistical analysis was performed with 2-way ANOVA, evaluating the differences between and within each group, i.e. analysis of trends in relation to therapy. Within each group, the analysis of the differences between means was performed with the Bonferroni t-test for multiple comparisons against baseline (t+0), in order to evaluate the differences between basal values and each subsequent evaluation. Several cognitive functions were improved in the CDP-choline treated group, particularly short and long term memory. For the duration of active treatment, the Randt Memory Test showed a constant improvement in Acquisition and Recall as well as in Delayed Recall of the subtests Five Items, Short Story, Incidental Learning and the Memory Index. Cognitive Efficiency and Attention Efficiency were also significantly improved. The GBS rating scale, evaluating behavioural indexes, showed improvements in the 4 functions explored, i.e. emotional functions, mental functions, motor functions and common dementia symptoms. Significant differences compared with baseline values were observed in the data from the later phases of therapy. In conclusion, patients treated with CDP-choline demonstrated a significant improvement in cognitive functions, while the placebo-treated patients did not show any significant trend. The drug was well tolerated, with no significant adverse effects.