An early-stage study has found that sodium selenate is safe and well-tolerated in patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). This variant of frontotemporal dementia is one of the most common clinical syndromes seen in patients with early onset dementia, the researchers noted.
Investigators sought to study sodium selenate as a disease-modifying treatment that would target and eliminate forms of tau and other proteins in the brain that are associated with bvFTD. The inorganic compound has been shown to reduce tau levels in animal models of frontotemporal dementia and epilepsy
Twelve participants with bvFTD received 15 mg of sodium selenate three times daily for 52 weeks. Along with performing regular safety assessments, the researchers tracked the frequency of adverse events, serious adverse events and discontinuations of the drug.
The drug was safe, with most adverse events (65%) considered mild, the researchers reported. Only one serious adverse event occurred, which was not treatment related. Investigators also found small declines in brain images and cognitive and behavioral measures during the treatment period.
There was no evidence that there was any change in the tau protein levels, however. But further measurement of disease markers showed that one group of patients had substantial brain atrophy (up to 6.5% reduction) and cognitive and behavioral decline over 12 months. A second group of seven patients, meanwhile, showed no detectable change in cognitive and behavioral measures and less brain atrophy (up to 1.7% reduction).
The researchers recommend that randomized-controlled trials are performed to further investigate potential efficacy.
The study was published in Translational Research & Clinical Interventions.
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