Objective:

To evaluate the clinical efficacy of modified cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) combined with standard drug therapy on cognitive function, activities of daily living, and quality of life in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD), and to explore key predictors of CST efficacy.

Approach:

• Study Design: A randomized controlled trial (RCT) enrolling 80 patients with mild-to-moderate AD, assigned to either modified CST plus standard pharmacotherapy or standard pharmacotherapy alone.
• Intervention: The modified CST program consisted of 14 weekly 45-minute sessions.
• Primary Endpoint: Change in the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale–Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog) score from baseline to post-intervention.
• Secondary Measures: Activities of Daily Living (ADL) scale and Quality of Life in Alzheimer’s disease (QOL-AD) questionnaire.
• Data Analysis: Data were analyzed using an intention-to-treat (ITT) approach and multivariate regression to identify independent predictors.

Key Findings:

• The study group showed significantly better post-intervention ADAS-Cog scores than the control group (adjusted mean difference = -3.28 points, 95% CI: -3.72 to -2.83, P < 0.001).
• Significant improvements were also noted in ADL (adjusted mean difference = -4.93, 95% CI: -8.39 to -1.47, P = 0.006) and QOL-AD (adjusted mean difference = 2.69, 95% CI: 1.01 to 4.37, P = 0.002) for the study group.

Interpretation:

Limitations:

• The study was conducted at a single center, which may limit generalizability.
• The sample size was relatively small, which may affect the robustness of the findings.

Conclusion:

Sources:

• Chinese Clinical Trial Registry