Effective pharmacotherapy of alcoholic amnestic disorder with fluvoxamine. Preliminary findings.

Abstract

Ten patients with alcoholic chronic organic brain disease were categorized as having alcohol amnestic disorder, or Korsakoff's psychosis (n = 6), dementia associated with alcoholism (n = 3), or compensated alcoholic liver disease (n = 1). All patients had severe deficits in memory for recently acquired information (episodic memory). Patients with alcohol dementia also showed global intellectual decline, including decreased performance on measures of semantic (knowledge) memory and reduction in levels of cerebrospinal fluid somatostatin. In a 4-week double-blind crossover design, the serotonin-uptake blocker fluvoxamine maleate (100 to 200 mg/d) was found to improve episodic memory in only the patients with alcohol amnestic disorder. These improvements in memory were significantly correlated with reductions in levels of cerebrospinal fluid 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, suggesting that facilitation of serotonergic neurotransmission may ameliorate the episodic memory failure in patients with alcohol amnestic disorder.

• Authors: P R Martin, B Adinoff, M J Eckardt, J M Stapleton, G A Bone, D R Rubinow, E A Lane, M Linnoila
• Journal: Archives of general psychiatry (Arch Gen Psychiatry) Vol. 46 Issue 7 Pg. 617-21 (Jul 1989) ISSN: 0003-990X [Print] United States
• PMID: 2472126 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Comparative Study, Controlled Clinical Trial, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Oximes
• Serotonin Antagonists
• Somatostatin
• Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid
• Fluvoxamine

Topics

• Aged
• Alcohol Amnestic Disorder (cerebrospinal fluid, drug therapy, psychology)
• Clinical Trials as Topic
• Double-Blind Method
• Female
• Fluvoxamine
• Humans
• Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid (cerebrospinal fluid)
• Male
• Memory (drug effects)
• Middle Aged
• Oximes (blood, therapeutic use)
• Psychoses, Alcoholic (blood, drug therapy, psychology)
• Serotonin Antagonists (blood, therapeutic use)
• Somatostatin (cerebrospinal fluid)
• Wechsler Scales