A study in the United Kingdom is testing a drug called donepezil in treating mild dementia with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and is looking for research volunteers. The Michael J. Fox Foundation is funding a portion of the study that is comparing clinical scales to measure cognitive impairment as a complement to testing the candidate drug.

Identifying problems with mental function at an early stage, and detecting and monitoring treatment benefits relies critically upon the use of scales to measure symptom progress. Currently there are several scales that record cognitive impairment, but researchers do not know which is best, since they have not been tested against each other. This study aims to address this shortfall in knowledge while testing a potential treatment for cognitive dysfunction.

The Multicentre UK Study of the Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitor Donepezil in Early Dementia Associated with Parkinson's Disease (MUSTARDD-PD) is recruiting subjects at 22 sites across England, Scotland and Wales. Five hundred people with mild dementia with PD will receive either donepezil or a placebo for up to two years, and, at periodic appointments, researchers will measure cognitive abilities (memory and attention), psychiatric disturbances (for example, visual hallucinations) and quality of daily life.

Learn more about MUSTARDD-PD, eligibility criteria and where the study is recruiting on Fox Trial Finder.

A team in Oregon is also studying donepezil in PD, but for its effect on gait and balance. Previous studies have shown the drug prevents falls among people with Parkinson’s. Learn more.