Placebo Controlled Study of Atomoxetine in the Treatment of Mild to Moderate Cognitive Difficulties in Menopausal Women

Summary

The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of atomoxetine (ATX) treatment for the mild to moderate cognitive disturbances frequently experienced by women during the menopause transition. In addition, we seek to determine, using the Brown Attention Deficit Disorder Scale (BADDS), whether and to what degree peri- and early post-menopausal women experience cognitive disturbances which overlap with the impairments of executive function characteristic of adults with attention deficit disorder (ADHD).

Timeline

Start

2004-05

Primary completion

2008-04

Completion

2008-04

Publications

• Background Jezierski MK, Sohrabji F. Neurotrophin expression in the reproductively senescent forebrain is refractory to estrogen stimulation. Neurobiol Aging. 2001 Mar-Apr;22(2):309-19. doi: 10.1016/s0197-4580(00)00230-x.
• Background Sherwin BB. Estrogen and cognitive functioning in women. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1998 Jan;217(1):17-22. doi: 10.3181/00379727-217-44200.
• Background Shumaker SA, Legault C, Rapp SR, Thal L, Wallace RB, Ockene JK, Hendrix SL, Jones BN 3rd, Assaf AR, Jackson RD, Kotchen JM, Wassertheil-Smoller S, Wactawski-Wende J; WHIMS Investigators. Estrogen plus progestin and the incidence of dementia and mild cognitive impairment in postmenopausal women: the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2003 May 28;289(20):2651-62. doi: 10.1001/jama.289.20.2651.
• Background Wise PM, Smith MJ, Dubal DB, Wilson ME, Krajnak KM, Rosewell KL. Neuroendocrine influences and repercussions of the menopause. Endocr Rev. 1999 Jun;20(3):243-8. doi: 10.1210/edrv.20.3.0364.
• Background Zandi PP, Carlson MC, Plassman BL, Welsh-Bohmer KA, Mayer LS, Steffens DC, Breitner JC; Cache County Memory Study Investigators. Hormone replacement therapy and incidence of Alzheimer disease in older women: the Cache County Study. JAMA. 2002 Nov 6;288(17):2123-9. doi: 10.1001/jama.288.17.2123.

Drugs

Indications