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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2011 Feb;21(1):43-50.
doi: 10.1089/cap.2010.0024.

Safety and efficacy of donepezil in children and adolescents with autism: neuropsychological measures

Benjamin L Handen  1 , Cynthia R Johnson, Sarah McAuliffe-Bellin, Patricia Jo Murray, Antonio Y Hardan
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Safety and efficacy of donepezil in children and adolescents with autism: neuropsychological measures

Benjamin L Handen et al. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2011 Feb.

Abstract

Objective: There has been recent interest in the use of cognitive enhancing drugs, such as cholinesterase inhibitors, as a possible treatment for executive functioning (EF) deficits in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The goal of this study was to assess the tolerability, safety, and efficacy of donepezil on EF in a sample of children and adolescents with ASD.

Method: Thirty-four children and adolescents with ASD (age range 8-17 years; IQ >75) were enrolled in a 10-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of donepezil (doses of 5 and 10 mg), followed by a 10-week open label trial for placebo nonresponders.

Results: The effect of donepezil treatment on EF was examined. Despite improvement on a number of EF measures, no statistically significant between-group differences were found (with gains observed for both the placebo and donepezil groups).

Conclusions: The results suggest that short-term treatment with donepezil may have limited impact on cognitive functioning in ASD. Future controlled trials may need to consider a longer treatment period to detect significant gains on EF measures.

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