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Table 1 Summary or selection criteria

From: Anticonvulsants for behavioral and psychological symptoms in dementia: protocol for a systematic review

Category

Criteria

Population(s)

Individuals with dementia and BPSD living in the community, long term care, or in specialized longer stay settings

Intervention

All anticonvulsants for BPSD including valproic acid, gabapentin, pregabalin, carbamazepine, phenytoin, topiramate, levetiracetam, zonisamide, oxcarbazepine, lamotrigine, and phenobarbital. Benzodiazepines excluded

Control

Placebo, no intervention, or other active treatments including both non-pharmacologic or pharmacologic treatments

Outcomes

Primary outcomes: We will consider studies that use validated measures of BPSD such as

 1. Neuropsychiatric Inventory [19].

 2. Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory [20]

 3. Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale [21]

 4. Clinical Global Impression Scale

Secondary outcomes:

 1. Caregiver burden and quality of life

 2. Placement in long term care facility from home.

 3. Serious adverse effects

 4. Treatment discontinuation due to serious adverse effects

Study design

Randomized control trials and crossover trials.

Timing

Any duration of follow-up longer than 2 weeks.