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“Strong anticholinergic medications can cause acute impairment in aspects of cognition,” explains Shelly Gray, lead author of the new report. “However, the general thinking was that any
effect on cognition was reversible once the medication was discontinued.” A previous study had suggested a link between dementia and prior use of anticholinergic drugs, but questions
remained over what level of exposure—in terms of dose and duration—conferred a substantial risk.
Gray and colleagues prospectively followed a cohort of 3,434 people aged over 65 years who were enrolled in a Group Health Cooperative (WA, USA) health-care plan. At study entry, and every 2
years thereafter, participants' cognitive function was assessed using the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument. Every member of the study cohort was cognitively normal at the beginning
of the study, and participants who showed signs of impairment during the follow-up period received a standardized dementia screening protocol.
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