5-HT1A Partial Agonist Tandospirone for Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms in Oldest-old Patients with Dementia at a Special Elderly Nursing Home

Objective@#To investigate the efficacy of tandospirone, an azapirone anxiolytic similar to buspirone that is used in Japan, for behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), especially in oldest-old patients. @*Methods@#This was an open-label observational study involving residents with BPSD in a special elderly nursing home between August 2013 and August 2018. The severity of dementia was assessed using the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale; as the main outcomes, the severity of BPSD was assessed using the Clinical Global Impressions-Severity scale (CGI-S) and Neuropsychiatric Inventory-12 (NPI-12) at baseline and 4 weeks after the maintenance dose of tandospirone was reached. The administration of tandospirone started at 30 mg, divided into three doses per day. Two weeks later, if the efficacy was sufficient based on the clinical nursing record, that dose was continued; if the efficacy was insufficient, the daily dose was increased from 40 mg/day to a maximum dose of 60 mg/day. @*Results@#Thirty-three participants (25 females [76%], mean age 87.1 ± 5.4 years) completed the study. Twenty-three participants (70%) were oldest-old (18 females [78%], mean age 89.9 ± 3.4 years). The mean CDR score was 2.9 ± 0.3 in all participants. Tandospirone treatment showed few or no obvious adverse effects and significantly improved CGI-S scores, as well as total scores and many subscale scores on the NPI-12, in both the sample at large and the oldest-old participants. @*Conclusion@#This study demonstrated the efficacy and safety of tandospirone for BPSD in oldest-old participants.

5-HT1A Partial Agonist Tandospirone for Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms in Oldest-old Patients with Dementia at a Special Elderly Nursing Home

Objective@#To investigate the efficacy of tandospirone, an azapirone anxiolytic similar to buspirone that is used in Japan, for behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), especially in oldest-old patients. @*Methods@#This was an open-label observational study involving residents with BPSD in a special elderly nursing home between August 2013 and August 2018. The severity of dementia was assessed using the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale; as the main outcomes, the severity of BPSD was assessed using the Clinical Global Impressions-Severity scale (CGI-S) and Neuropsychiatric Inventory-12 (NPI-12) at baseline and 4 weeks after the maintenance dose of tandospirone was reached. The administration of tandospirone started at 30 mg, divided into three doses per day. Two weeks later, if the efficacy was sufficient based on the clinical nursing record, that dose was continued; if the efficacy was insufficient, the daily dose was increased from 40 mg/day to a maximum dose of 60 mg/day. @*Results@#Thirty-three participants (25 females [76%], mean age 87.1 ± 5.4 years) completed the study. Twenty-three participants (70%) were oldest-old (18 females [78%], mean age 89.9 ± 3.4 years). The mean CDR score was 2.9 ± 0.3 in all participants. Tandospirone treatment showed few or no obvious adverse effects and significantly improved CGI-S scores, as well as total scores and many subscale scores on the NPI-12, in both the sample at large and the oldest-old participants. @*Conclusion@#This study demonstrated the efficacy and safety of tandospirone for BPSD in oldest-old participants.

Efficacy of Asenapine in Schizophrenia Resistant to Clozapine Combined with Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Case Report

Schizophrenic patients resistant to antipsychotics are diagnosed as having treatment-refractory schizophrenia, and they are treated with clozapine. However, clozapine is sometimes combined with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) if clozapine monotherapy fails. In this report, a severe treatment-refractory schizophrenic patient who did not respond to clozapine even with ECT, but who recovered with asenapine monotherapy, is presented. Asenapine, considered a serotonin spectrum dopamine modulator, is a new atypical antipsychotic with unique pharmacological features that is used not only for schizophrenia, but also for bipolar disorder. The unique features of asenapine may be effective for some treatment-refractory schizophrenic patients.

A Case of Nasu-Hakola Disease without Fractures or Consanguinity Diagnosed Using Exome Sequencing and Treated with Sodium Valproate

Nasu-Hakola disease (NHD) is a rare autosomal recessive neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by bone cysts, fractures, and cognitive impairment. Two genes are responsible for the development of NHD; TYROBP and TREM2. Although it presents with typical signs and symptoms, diagnosing this disease remains difficult. This case report describes a male with NHD with no family or past history of bone fractures who was diagnosed using exome sequencing. His frontal lobe psychiatric symptoms recovered partially following treatment with sodium valproate, but not with an antipsychotic.

Combined Clozapine and Electroconvulsive Therapy in a Japanese Schizophrenia Patient: A Case Report

Clozapine is well-known for successful use in schizophrenic patients treatment resistant to other antipsychotics. However, even with clozapine, 25% of schizophrenic patients are not in remission. Recently, as adjunctive treatment with clozapine, electroconvulsive therapy has been reported to be an effective and safe adjunctive treatment. We report a Japanese schizophrenic woman who was not in remission with clozapine alone but with both clozapine and electroconvulsive therapy.