Methods of treating cortical dementia associated wandering

Abstract

The invention is based on the discovery that rho kinase inhibitors can be used to treat certain dementia-associated wandering. The inventive methods relate to the use of rho kinase inhibitors in the treatment of patients with cortical dementia-associated wandering. Preferred aspects of the invention contemplate treating wandering due to cortical vascular dementia and wandering due to dementia where the patient is a persistent wanderer and/or where the patient does not display a wayfinding defect.

1 . A method of treating a patient with wandering due to cortical dementia, comprising treating said patient with a therapeutically effective amount of fasudil. 
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said dementia is multi-infarct dementia. 
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said dementia is caused by ischemia. 
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said dementia is not caused by hemorrhage. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the dementia is cortical vascular dementia. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein said dementia is multi-infarct dementia. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein said dementia is caused by ischemia. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein said dementia is not caused by hemorrhage. 
     
     
         9 . A method of treating a patient with wandering due to vascular dementia comprising treating said patient with a therapeutically effective amount of fasudil. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the vascular dementia is not Binswanger’s disease or lacunar dementia. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , where said patient has not previously been treated with fasudil for chronic stroke. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the vascular dementia is due to hemorrhagic stroke without ischemic stroke infarcts. 
     
     
         13 . A method of treating a patient with wandering due to dementia comprising treating said patient with a therapeutically effective amount of fasudil. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the patient does not display a wayfinding defect. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the patient engages in elopement, escape or boundary transgressions. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 13 , wherein the patient is a sporadic wanderer. 
     
     
         17 . A method of treating a patient with wandering dementia, wherein the patient is a persistent wanderer who is in motion at least 20% of waking hours, comprising treating said patient with a therapeutically effective amount of fasudil. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the patient does not have subcortical dementia. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the patient does not have pseudobulbar affect.