Assessing response to tacrine using the factor analytic structure of the Alzheimer's disease assessment scale (Adas)—cognitive subscale

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Abstract
A factor analysis of the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale—Cognitive subscale (ADASc), the primary cognitive outcome measure in most clinical trials of drugs for Alzheimer's disease, was undertaken to test whether factor scores are differentially sensitive to change in a placebo‐controlled 30‐week trial of the cholinesterase inhibitor tacrine. The factor analysis identified three factors: language, memory and praxis, a factor structure similar to an earlier report. All three factors showed worsening for placebo patients and improvements for tacrine patients, with significant between‐group treatment effects. None of the factors was significantly more sensitive to change than another, suggesting that tacrine affects a range of cognitive function.