Effect of Magnesium Pemoline and Methylphenidate on Memory Improvement and Mood in Normal Aging Subjects

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of magnesium pemoline (Cylert) and methylphenidate (Ritalin) on the memory and mood of normal aging persons. Seventy-eight subjects, aged 60 and over, were randomly assigned in double blind fashion to one of the two drug conditions or to a placebo. Subjects were administered the WAIS vocabulary subtest, the Guild Memory Test, and a mood scale at the beginning of the study and the mood scale and alternate forms of the memory test in the middle and at the end of the experiment. Laboratory examinations were conducted at the beginning and end of the six week period and physical examinations were given weekly. Results showed no differential drug effects between the three groups on any of the six memory functions measured or between sub-groups of differing intellectual levels. There were, however, tentative indications that Cylert increased depression and worrisomeness and that Ritalin reduced fatigue. No physical side effects or significant changes in laboratory examinations were found on all but two subjects. These two individuals, apparently hypersensitive to Cylert, showed hepatic toxicity, but the resultant elevations on some tests quickly subsided when the drug was withdrawn.