CHOLESTEROL REDUCTION EFFECTS ON BEHAVIOR

描述：本申请是竞争性延续的重新提交 研究降胆固醇药物对 心理功能。 现行国家卫生政策建议 广泛的血清胆固醇降低。 然而，人们对 潜在的认知、情感和行为后遗症 降低胆固醇的治疗。 初期的主要目标 一个项目是确定是否通过普通药物降低胆固醇 （洛伐他汀）引起的行为，认知或情绪的改变，相对于 安慰剂处理的对照。 结果表明， 洛伐他汀在一系列认知指标中的表现 功能，特别是注意力和心理速度的措施。 到 确定这些发现是否值得公众健康关注， 降低胆固醇的认知后遗症现在需要重新检查 代表日常生活的复杂任务的背景。 在一项双盲、安慰剂对照的临床研究中， 患有高胆固醇血症的成年人将被随机分配到三个 治疗条件-辛伐他汀5 mg/天，辛伐他汀40 mg/天， 和安慰剂，为期六个月 的主要目标 拟议的研究是评估降低胆固醇对 患者在复杂认知需求任务上的表现， 类似于日常生活中经常遇到的情况。 的 试验电池的组成部分是：1）汽车驾驶（模拟），2） 日常记忆测试，3）就业前能力倾向和表现测试，4） 社会认知和行为（通过标准化情景评估 介绍和其他重要评级），以及5）标准 神经心理学测试（用于与先前结果进行比较）。 使用 两种治疗强度将允许检查剂量反应 胆固醇降低程度与认知功能的关系 性能

DESCRIPTION: This application is a resubmission of a competing continuation proposal to study the effects of cholesterol-lowering medications on psychological functions. Current national health policy recommends widespread serum cholesterol reduction. However, little is known regarding the potential cognitive, affective, and behavioral sequelae of cholesterol-lowering treatments. The principal objective of the initial project was to determine whether cholesterol lowering by a common medication (lovastatin) caused alterations in behavior, cognition or mood, relative to placebo-treated controls. The results indicate that treatment with lovastatin worsens performance across a range of indices of cognitive functioning, particularly measures of attention and psychomotor speed. To determine whether these findings warrant public health concern, the cognitive sequelae of cholesterol lowering now require re-examination in the context of complex tasks representative of daily life. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical investigation, 300 healthy adults with hypercholesterolemia will be randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions -- simvastatin 5 mg per day, simvastatin 40 mg per day, and placebo -- for a period of six months. The principal objective of the proposed research is to evaluate the effects of cholesterol lowering on patients' performance on tasks that impose complex cognitive demands that are analogous to situations encountered frequently in everyday life. The components of the test battery are: 1) automobile driving (simulation), 2) everyday memory tests, 3) pre-employment aptitude and performance tests, 4) social cognition and behavior, (evaluated by standardized scenario presentation and significant other ratings), and 5) standard neuropsychological tests (for comparison with prior results). The use of two treatment intensities will permit examination of the dose-response relationship between the degree of cholesterol lowering and cognitive performance.