Commonly prescribed noradrenergic drugs such as methylphenidate could be repurposed to treat general cognitive symptoms and apathy in Alzheimer’s disease, neurology researchers suggest.

Results from a systematic review and meta-analysis of 19 clinical trials suggest that targeting noradrenergic dysfunction in affected patients could also have disease-modifying effects, they said.

“There is a strong rationale for further, targeted clinical trials of noradrenergic treatments in Alzheimer’s disease,” the Imperial College London-led team concluded.

Using data from 1800 participants, with a mean age range of 60-85 years, the researchers explored the efficacy of drugs with principally noradrenergic action for improving cognition and neuropsychiatric symptoms.