Efficacy and Safety of Donepezil Hydrochloride (Aricept) in Vascular Dementia

The subjects eligible for this study are men and women outpatients, age 40-60 years old, who fulfill the criteria for VAD according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the Association Internationale pour la Recherche et l'Enseignement en Neurosciences International Workshop (NINCDS-AIREN). Subjects shall undergo extensive clinical examination by a stroke specialist and radiological examination (CT or MRI) to document presence of cerebrovascular disease. The clinical diagnosis has to be relevant to the imaging findings.

Other Inclusion criteria:

Subjects with clinically stable hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and cardiac disease for the last 3 months. Subjects with history of recent stroke, who have not been hospitalized for stroke in the previous 3 months. Subjects with depression controlled with medications. Subjects should have no hearing or visual impairment and live with a reliable caregiver

Subjects should have no radiological evidence of other brain disorders (subdural hematoma, post-traumatic / post-surgery) have no depression or other psychiatric disorders, infectious disorders, neoplastic condition, and metabolic and toxic encephalopathies, dementia due to AD or prior diagnosis of AD, and major depression or other psychiatric disorders.

Subjects with clinical evidence of pulmonary, hepatic, gastrointestinal, metabolic, endocrine or other life threatening diseases; pregnancy, history of alcohol or drug abuse, and sensitivity to cholinesterase inhibitors; use of investigational agents, cholinomimetic and anticholinergic agents.