Double-blind, placebo controlled study of acetyl-l-carnitine in patients with Alzheimer's dementia

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of L-Carnitine in the context of dementia, alzheimer's & cognitive decline, published as a randomized controlled trial.

A total of 36 patients entered the trial, of whom 20 patients (7 active, 13 placebo) completed the full 24 weeks.

Similarly, there was a trend for reaction time in the computerized classification test to show less deterioration in the active treatment group.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 36 patients were involved.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were older adults, both men and women.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and parallel-group study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got L-Carnitine and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

Neither the patients nor the staff measuring them knew who was on L-Carnitine, so expectations could not easily colour the readings.

A placebo (an inactive look-alike) gave the L-Carnitine group a baseline to be compared against.

The L-Carnitine group and the comparison group ran side by side rather than switching.

What Was Measured

Similarly, there was a trend for reaction time in the computerized classification test to show less deterioration in the active treatment group.

The subject headings attached to it are Acetylcarnitine, Activities of Daily Living, Alzheimer Disease, Carnitine, Memory, Short-Term and Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of L-Carnitine in 36 patients in people with dementia, alzheimer's & cognitive decline.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 1990 (Current medical research and opinion), a journal based in England.

More context: the L-Carnitine compound page, Dementia, Alzheimer's & cognitive decline research.