Objective  To explore the effect of mouse nerve growth factor combined with donepezil in the treatment of senile dementia.

  Methods  Totally 64 patients with senile dementia were randomly divided into two groups, with 32 cases in each group. The control group was given donepezil orally, while the observation group was treated with intra-muscular injection of mouse nerve growth factor on the basis of the control group. The clinical efficiency was compared between two groups.

  Results  The total effective rate of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). After treatment, the Dementia Rating Scale (CDR) score of the two groups significantly reduced (P < 0.05), the simple Mental State Examination Scale (MMSE) score significantly increased (P < 0.05), and the CDR and MMSE scores of the observation group were significantly better than those of the control group (P < 0.05). After treatment, the serum levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), C reactive protein (CRP) and IL-6 in the two groups significantly decreased (P < 0.05), and the serum levels of IL-1β, CRP and IL-6 in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05).

  Conclusion  Mouse nerve growth factor combined with donepezil may exert therapeutic effect by inhibiting harmful inflammatory cytokines, alleviating dementia symptoms and improving cognitive function in senile dementia patients.