Efficacy of RIVAstigmine on Motor, Cognitive and Behavioural Impairment in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy — RIVA-PSP  

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) Clinical Trial

Official title: RIVA-PSP: Efficacy of Rivastigmine on Motor, Cognitive and Behavioural Impairment in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy: A Randomised Double Blind Placebo-controlled Clinical Trial

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a rare neurodegenerative disease from the parkinsonian syndrome group. It represents 5 to 10% of all parkinsonian syndromes and affects 3,000 to 10,000 persons in France. PSP is characterised by a doparesistant parkinsonism with axial signs such as early gait instability and falls, oculomotor signs such as a vertical gaze palsy, dysphagia and dysarthria, and both cognitive and behavioural disturbances. The latter predominantly manifest as psycho-motor slowness, apathy and frontal executive deficits. Swallowing impairments and falls may lead to life-threatening situations and death occurs 6-9 years after disease onset.

Apart from L-dopa which may transiently and inconsistently improve motor symptoms no effective symptomatic, disease-modifying or neuroprotective therapy is presently available to reduce disability in any way. Therefore these patients often receive mostly non-medical care such as physiotherapy and speech therapy.

In addition to dopaminergic degeneration there is evidence of cholinergic deficits in PSP correlated with gait and balance impairments . This stands in contrast with the limited number of studies of cholinergic augmentation strategies in PSP.

Trials of cholinesterase inhibitors in PSP have produced rather conflicting results:

donepezil improves cognition but deteriorates some motor functions whereas a case series of 5 PSP patients treated with rivastigmine found an improvement in several cognitive aspects and no deterioration of motor functions .On the other hand in Parkinson's disease there is convincing evidence of a positive effect of rivastigmine on cognition , apathy and falls Investigators' hypothesis is that rivastigmine (an acetyl- and butyryl-cholinesterase inhibitor) may reduce gait and postural impairment in PSP and may therefore limit the number of falls and their consequences both in terms of injuries sustained (fractures etc...) and on the patients' autonomy. In addition investigators hypothesise that rivastigmine may also reduce the cognitive and behavioural impairment associated with PSP. Taken together these improvements are likely to produce a significant effect on the patients' quality of life and their caregiver burden.

Clinical Trial Description

n/a

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP)
• Supranuclear Palsy, Progressive

• NCT number: NCT02839642
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Assistance Publique Hopitaux De Marseille
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 3
• Start date: July 26, 2016
• Completion date: November 17, 2022