血管性痴呆患者神经精神症状的临床分析

目的 了解血管性痴呆患者的神经精神症状特点.方法 采用神经精神科问卷、简易智能状态检查量表和Hachinski缺血评分量表,分别评价血管性痴呆、脑卒中后非痴呆、阿尔茨海默病和正常老年人群的神经精神症状.结果 与正常对照组比较,血管性痴呆组患者在妄想、幻觉、激越、抑郁和(或)心境恶劣、情感淡漠、易激惹和(或)不稳定、迷乱的动作行为等调查内容和神经精神科问卷总评分,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05或P＜0.01);阿尔茨海默病组伴妄想者多于血管性痴呆组,组间差异有统计学意义(P＜0.01).血管性痴呆不同严重程度组之间比较,幻觉、焦虑、情感淡漠、易激惹和(或)不稳定、迷乱的动作行为等调查项目达到统计学意义(P＜0.05或P＜0.01),且随病情的逐渐加重而症状更为明显.结论 血管性痴呆和阿尔茨海默病患者存在多种相似的神经精神症状,中至重度血管性痴呆患者表现为以情绪和情感障碍为主的神经精神症状.     

老年痴呆患者精神行为症状的因子分析

目的研究痴呆患者精神行为症状(BPSD)的患病情况以及不同亚综合征之间的内在联系。方法373例痴呆患者均符合美国精神障碍诊断与统计手册第4版的痴呆诊断标准,临床痴呆评定量表评分为轻、中度,采用神经精神科问卷(NPI)评定其精神行为症状;因子分析采用主成分因子提取法,并对因子负荷进行正交方差极大旋转。结果(1)49.3%(184例)的患者至少出现1种NPI症状;最常见的症状有抑郁/心境恶劣(89例,23.9%)、情感淡漠/漠不关心(81例,21.7%)、焦虑(76例,20.4%)等。(2)因子分析获得4个亚综合征,分别代表情感和冲动、精神病性症状、心身异常和行为紊乱,发生率分别为36.5%,28.4%,27.4%,15.3%。结论BPSD存在着具有共性因素的亚综合征,其发生率较单一症状高;不同BPSD之间可能存在共同病因或危险因素。     

以精神行为异常为主要症状的非痴呆型血管性认知障碍临床研究

目的 分析以精神行为异常为主要症状的非痴呆型血管认知障碍（vascular cognitive impairment no
dementia,VCIND）的精神行为特点和认知功能特征。
方法 本研究为横断面研究,收集2011年6月～2013年12月广州市脑科医院以精神行为异常为主要
症状就诊的VCIND18例、伴有精神行为异常的血管性痴呆（vascular dementia,VaD）16例和无认知功能
障碍（no cognitive impairment,NCI）18例作为对照组。采用神经精神科问卷（Neuropsychiatric Inventory,
NPI）和简易精神状态检查量表（Mini-Mental State Examination,MMSE）及蒙特利尔认知评估量表
（Montreal Cognitive Assessment,MoCA）分别评定精神行为和认知状态,并比较各组间精神行为及认
知状态的差异。
结果 VCIND组最多见的精神行为异常表现为易激惹/情绪不稳（66.7%）,睡眠障碍（61.1%）,其
次为激越/攻击行为（55.6%）,幻觉/妄想（44.4%）。VaD组焦虑/抑郁症状与VCIND组相比较多见,差
异具有显著性（75% vs 16.7%;P =0.001）。VCIND组各认知评分介于VaD组和NCI组之间,与NCI组
相比,在视空间/执行能力（2.78±0.73 vs 4.50±0.51）、注意（4.61±0.61 vs 5.33±0.48）、语言
（2.11±0.47 vs 2.67±0.49）、抽象［1（0,1）vs 2（1,2）］、延迟记忆［2（2,3）vs 4（4,4）］方面差异
均具有显著性（P <0.001）。
结论 VCIND可以以精神行为异常为主要表现,尤其是急起的易激惹/情绪不稳、睡眠障碍及激越/
攻击行为。     

发作期与恢复期老年抑郁症的认知功能及精神行为症状特征

目的比较发作期老年抑郁症(late life depression,LLD)、恢复期LLD患者及对照组认知功能和精神行为症状的特点。方法纳入发作期LLD患者96例,恢复期LLD患者76例,正常对照125名,采用简易精神状态检查(mini-mental state examination,MMSE)、记忆与执行筛查量表(memory and executive screening,MES)、阿尔茨海默病评定量表认知部分(Alzheimer disease assessment scale-cognitive subscale,ADAS-cog)进行认知功能评估,采用神经精神问卷(neuropsychiatric inventory,NPI)进行精神行为症状评估。结果 认知方面,发作期、恢复期LLD患者MMSE、MES、ADAS-cog评分均差于对照组(P0.05),而发作期LLD与恢复期LLD患者相比差异均无统计学意义(P0.05)。精神行为症状方面,发作期LLD组NPI总分,以及激越、抑郁、焦虑、淡漠、易激惹、睡眠行为障碍、食欲障碍得分均高于恢复期LLD组与对照组(P0.05),恢复期LLD组则在NPI总分及抑郁、焦虑、淡漠得分高于对照组(P0.05)。结论 恢复期LLD患者持续存在认知功能损害,同时也残留抑郁、焦虑、淡漠等精神行为症状。     

康奈尔痴呆抑郁量表中文版的信度检测及临床应用研究

目的：检测康奈尔痴呆抑郁量表中文版（CSDD-CV）的信度，并对AD患者抑郁的相关因素进行研究。方法：对60例阿尔茨海默病（AD）患者及其照料者进行调查，了解患者访视前1周的症状和体征。结果：CSDD-CV的Cronbach’s α系数为0．810，5个因子的Cronbach’s α系数在0．576--0．788。CSDD-CV的平均得分为6．84（0-21）分，CSDD．CV≥8分21例（36．84％）。除第12项外，CSDD-CV各项目与总分的相关系数在0．273-0．782，P均〈0．05。CSDD-CV与NPI总分的相关系数为0．631，P〈0．05，与NPI子项目A妄想、C激越、D抑郁、G情感淡漠、I易激惹、J异常行为及K睡眠均具有显著相关性，P均〈0．05。采用多元线性逐步回归分析发现AD患者出现抑郁的影响因素主要为IADL和NPI。结论：CSDD．CV具有良好的信度和效度，可以用于AD患者抑郁状态的评定，同时AD抑郁状态可能与患者精细的日常生活能力有关，而与认知功能的下降无关。     

血管性痴呆与阿尔采默氏病精神症状的比较

痴呆病人常见的精神症状有妄想、抑郁、易激惹、攻击行为、情感淡漠等。血管性痴呆是继阿尔采木氏病后的一种常见的痴呆,至少占所有痴呆病例的15％。本研究的目的是:(1)确立血管性痴呆的精神症状;(2)比较血者性痴果与阿尔采木氏病人在认知缺陷程度相同、年龄相同、教育程度一致的情况下精神症状的异同;(3)提出二者的与神经生理有关的精神症状的病理生理学假设。     

进行性核上性麻痹与行为异常型额颞叶痴呆患者认知-精神行为及~(18)F-FDG PET显像特征研究

目的研究进行性核上性麻痹(PSP)患者认知功能、精神行为症状以及不同脑区葡萄糖代谢特点,并与行为异常型额颞叶痴呆(bvFTD)患者进行比较。方法纳入经36个月以上随访最终确诊为PSP(PSP组,20例)和bvFTD(bvFTD组,65例)患者,通过简易智能状态检查量表(MMSE)和蒙特利尔认知评价量表(MoCA)、日常生活活动能力量表(ADL)以及神经精神科问卷(NPI),分别对认知功能、日常生活活动能力和神经精神行为症状进行评价。bvFTD组(18例)和PSP组(17例)中疑似病例进一步行~(18)F-FDG PET以明确诊断,同时比较两组不同脑区葡萄糖代谢存在的差异。结果 PSP组患者MMSE评分(P=0.046)和MoCA评分(P=0.009)均高于bvFTD组;MoCA量表各分项评分,PSP组患者命名(P=0.038)、语言功能(P=0.006)、抽象思维(P=0.011)、延迟回忆(P=0.001)和定向力(P=0.004)评分均高于bvFTD组,视空间能力与执行功能、注意力评分组间差异无统计学意义。两组患者ADL评分和NPI评分差异均无统计学意义。NPI量表各分项比较,PSP组16例(88.89%)、bvFTD组63例(96.92%)存在一项或多项神经精神行为症状,PSP组激越/攻击(P=0.015)、易激惹/情绪不稳(P=0.036)发生率低于bvFTD组,而抑郁/心境恶劣(P=0.024)、情感淡漠/漠不关心(P=0.047)发生率高于bvFTD组。~(18)F-FDG PET显像两组均表现为额叶、岛叶、尾状核代谢减低,PSP组同时伴有丘脑、中脑低代谢。结论早期PSP患者即存在明显的认知功能障碍及精神行为异常,结合~(18)F-FDG PET显像,有助于与bvFTD早期鉴别诊断。     

阿尔茨海默病精神行为障碍发病机制研究进展

阿尔茨海默病（Alzheimer disease，AD）是一多发生在老年及老年前期的进行性神经变性疾病。AD是导致老年人神经精神功能衰退的主要原因之一，也是老龄化社会必然面临的问题。AD的临床症状分为两方面，即认知功能减退症状和非认知性精神行为症状，以往的文献大多忽略了AD的精神行为症状。AD的精神行为障碍症状表现为精神病性症状，包括阳性症状（如幻觉、妄想、易激惹等）和阴性症状（如反应迟钝、情感淡漠、少语等），情感症状（如抑郁、焦虑、欣快等），睡眠障碍，漫游，攻击行为等。精神行为障碍可加速认知功能减退，增加照顾者的负担，增加治疗痴呆药物用量及其副作用，故对AD患者的精神行为异常的预防和治疗是非常重要的。现将AD的精神行为障碍的发病机制综述如下。     

帕金森病患者的情感淡漠及其相关因素分析

目的 探讨帕金森病情感淡漠的患病率、症状学特点及相关因素.方法 收集77例帕金森病患者和40名健康人分为病例组和对照组,使用Lille情感淡漠评定量表(LARS)分别对其进行情感淡漠评分.以-21分为界将病例组分为淡漠组和非淡漠组,对两组的年龄、性别、受教育程度、病程、运动症状、认知损害、抑郁、多巴胺能及精神科药物使用情况进行t检验、x2检验及Logistic 回归分析.结果 77例帕金森病患者中,情感淡漠的发生率为49.4％( 38/77),抑郁的发生率为46.8％( 36/77),其中不伴抑郁的情感淡漠发生率为14.3％ (11/77),情感淡漠同时伴有抑郁的发生率为35.1％ (27/77).在38例情感淡漠患者中,以认知型受损者为主占86.8％ (33/38).帕金森病患者淡漠组(n=38)和非淡漠组(n=39)在受教育程度、统一帕金森病评定量表( UPDRS)Ⅱ和Ⅲ评分、H-Y分级、蒙特利尔认知评估量表和汉密尔顿抑郁量表(HAMD)评分之间差异有统计学意义(t=2.309、-3.144、-4.000、-3.217、2.649、-3.909,均P＜0.05).在情感淡漠相关因素的Logistic回归分析中,依次进入方程的是HAMD评分、UPDRSⅡ和受教育程度.结论 帕金森病患者的情感淡漠发生率高,可独立于抑郁而单独存在,并且可能与患者的受教育程度、运动症状严重程度、认知损害程度及抑郁存在情况之间存在相关性.     

卒中后抑郁的临床研究现状

随着对卒中研究的深入,人们逐渐认识到卒中后情感障碍已成为影响卒中患者预后和康复的最主要并发症之一.目前卒中后情感障碍主要包括常见的抑郁、焦虑、易激惹、情感失禁、情感淡漠和灾难性反应以及少见的妄想、幻觉[1-3].……     

Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia characteristic of mild Alzheimer patients

In order to clarify the characteristics of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD), BPSD among the severities of Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) in 74 patients with AD were compared using the Neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI). The result, when compared between mild (CDR = 0.5, 1) and moderate or severe (CDR = 2, 3) AD, was a significant difference in frequency of euphoria, disinhibition and aberrant motor behavior, but no significant difference was found in frequency of delusions, hallucinations, agitation, dysphoria, anxiety, apathy and irritability. In addition, a significant difference was found in the mean scores of the composite score for euphoria, apathy, disinhibition and aberrant motor behavior, but no significant difference was found in the mean scores of the composite score for delusions, hallucinations, agitation, dysphoria, anxiety and irritability. That is, the mild AD groups (CDR 0.5 or 1) had delusions, hallucinations, agitation, dysphoria, anxiety, apathy and irritability as frequently as the moderate or severe AD groups (CDR 2 or 3), and had the equivalent level of composite scores to the moderate or severe AD groups (CDR 2 or 3) in delusion, hallucination, agitation, dysphoria, anxiety and irritability. Therefore, it was supposed that psychotic symptoms (delusion, hallucination) and emotional symptoms (agitation, dysphoria, anxiety, irritability) are important BPSD in patients with mild AD as well as those with moderate or severe AD, and there are needs for health, welfare and medical services for these symptoms.     

Mild cognitive impairment is associated with characteristic neuropsychiatric symptoms

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has emerged as an identifiable condition and in many cases is a transitional state preceding diagnosable Alzheimer disease (AD). Neurobiological and neuroimaging characteristics of amnestic-type MCI have been investigated, but few comprehensive neuropsychiatric studies have been reported. The aim of this preliminary study was to define the neuropsychiatric features of the amnestic-type MCI and compare them with those of mild AD and normal controls. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) was used to assess the neuropsychiatric symptoms in three age and education comparable groups, i.e., 28 MCI, 124 mild AD, and 50 normal subjects. Individual subscores of the 10 NPI symptoms and total NPI scores were compared between the MCI patients and the other 2 groups. The results of this preliminary investigation showed that MCI patients frequently manifested neuropsychiatric symptoms. The most common symptoms in the MCI group were dysphoria (39%), apathy (39%), irritability (29%), and anxiety (25%). There were significant differences in apathy, dysphoria, irritability, anxiety, agitation, and aberrant motor behavior between the MCI and control groups; in contrast, only delusions were significantly less common in MCI compared with mild AD. There was a significant difference between the MCI and control groups on total NPI scores (p = 0.001), but not between the MCI and mild AD groups (p = 0.304). Amnestic MCI is associated with significant neuropsychiatric symptoms, especially mood disturbances and apathy. Psychotic symptoms are significantly more common in the early stage of AD than in MCI. These results are derived from a limited clinical sample and require confirmation in longitudinal community-based investigations.     

Neuropsychiatric symptoms and functional status in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia patients

Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are increasingly recognized as common in patients with dementia, both of degenerative (Alzheimer's disease, AD) or vascular origin (vascular dementia, VaD). In this study, 302 demented patients, 166 with AD and 136 with VaD, were evaluated for NPS according to the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) score at the Alzheimer's Evaluation Unit of Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza Hospital-IRCCS, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy. A comprehensive geriatric assessment was also performed in all demented patients. The means of NPI scores did not differ in two groups. The overall prevalence of NPS was similar in both groups of patients (69.7% vs. 69.4%). Patients with AD had higher frequency in agitation/aggression and irritability/lability than VaD patients. Logistic analysis demonstrated a significant association between severity of the cognitive impairment and depression and eating disorders in both AD and VaD patients. The association with agitation/aggression, irritability/lability, and aberrant motor activity was found in AD only, and with apathy in VaD patients only. In both AD and VaD patients, there was a significant association between the impairment in activities of daily living (ADL) and the majority of NPI domains. A significant association was also found between the impairment of the instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) and agitation/aggression, anxiety, aberrant motor activity in AD and depression, apathy, irritability/lability, sleep disturbance and eating disorders in both AD and VaD patients. In particular, a causal mediation analysis was performed to better understand whether the relationship of NPS to functional impairment was direct or mediated by severity of cognitive dysfunction, i.e., Clinical dementia rating scale (CDR) score. Only agitation/aggression was mediated by the CDR score in affecting ADL status in VaD patients (OR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.01-1.27). The NPI-Distress scores showed a significantly higher levels of distress in caregivers of AD than VaD. There were significant differences between AD and VaD patients with NPS, and these symptoms varied according to dementia subtype and severity and induced marked disability in ADL and IADL, increasing, prevalently, the distress of the caregivers of AD patients.     

Neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia-frequency, relationship to dementia severity and comparison in Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia and frontotemporal dementia

Noncognitive behavioral and psychiatric disturbances are common in dementia and help in the clinical differentiation of the various subtypes. We studied the frequency of neuropsychiatric disturbances, their relationship to dementia severity and compared these disturbances in Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) using the 12-item Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). A total of 98 patients (AD-44, VaD-31, FTD-23) were evaluated. All subjects were community dwelling at the time of evaluation. The three groups were comparable on global dementia severity and functional ability. All patients had clinically significant scores on the NPI with apathy, irritability and agitation being very common (>90% of patients). AD and VaD patients in Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) stage 2 had significantly higher scores on the total NPI, agitation and disinhibition subscales compared to those in CDR stage 1. Mean scores in the domains of aberrant motor behavior, disinhibition and appetite/eating behavior differentiated FTD from AD and VaD. Neuropsychiatric disturbances in dementia appear to be universal with agitation, disinhibition and irritability being more frequent in the later stages. In this cohort disinhibition, aberrant motor behavior and appetite/eating disturbances could reliably differentiate AD and VaD from FTD. There were no significant differences between the neuropsychiatric profiles of AD and VaD.     

Caregiver burden associated with behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia in elderly people in the local community

BACKGROUND: Despite many studies about the association between caregiver burden and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), there have been no population-based studies to evaluate caregiver burden associated with each BPSD. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate caregiver burden associated with the individual BPSD in elderly people living in the community. METHODS: The subjects were 67 participants with dementia living with their caregivers (diagnosed in the third Nakayama study): 51 Alzheimer's disease, 5 vascular dementia and 11 other. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and NPI Caregiver Distress Scale (NPI-D) were used to assess subjects' BPSD and related caregiver distress, respectively. RESULTS: In the subjects exhibiting BPSD, aberrant motor behavior had the highest mean NPI score, and depression/dysphoria had the lowest. Agitation/aggression had the highest mean NPI-D score, and euphoria/elation had the lowest. Delusion, agitation/aggression, apathy/indifference, irritability/lability and aberrant motor behavior showed a correlation between the NPI and NPI-D scores. CONCLUSION: The burden associated with BPSD is different for each symptom and does not always depend on frequency and severity of BPSD. These findings suggest that some symptoms, such as agitation/aggression and irritability/lability, may affect the caregivers significantly, although their frequency and severity are low.     

Behavioral differences between white matter lacunar dementia and Alzheimer's disease: a comparison on the neuropsychiatric inventory

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Behavioral abnormalities account for much of the morbidity of vascular dementia (VaD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The goals of the study were to compare the behavioral changes in patients with VaD associated with ischemic white matter subcortical changes and lacunar infarctions (VaD-WSI) to those in patients with AD. METHODS: Thirty outpatients with VaD and multiple lacunar infarctions in the periventricular white matter and 30 AD patients, matched for age and severity of dementia, were enrolled in this prospective study. The behavioral abnormalities of these patients were assessed by interviewing their caregivers with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory. RESULTS: A similar spectrum of noncognitive behavioral changes was found in AD and WSI patients. In VaD-WSI, the severity of delusions, hallucinations, aggression, irritability, aberrant motor behavior, nighttime behavior and appetite changes was correlated with cognitive decline, whereas depression, apathy, anxiety and euphoria were unrelated to the severity of dementia. In AD, none of the behavioral changes correlated with the severity of dementia. CONCLUSION: Behavioral changes are frequent in VaD-WSI and are present regardless of the severity of the cognitive decline. It is therefore important to assess behavioral as well as cognitive changes at early stages of the illness, to ensure appropriate treatment.     

Efficacy of donepezil on behavioral symptoms in patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease

OBJECTIVE: This subanalysis of a large, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial examined the prevalence of behavioral symptoms in moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease (AD), and the effect of treatment with donepezil. METHODS: Two hundred ninety patients with moderate to severe AD (standardized Mini-Mental State Examination scores 5-17) were randomized to receive 24 weeks of once-daily doses of donepezil 5 mg/day for 28 days, and 10 mg/day thereafter per the clinician's judgment (n = 144), or placebo (n = 146). The outcome measure of interest was the 12-item Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). RESULTS: Baseline demographics were similar between the treatment groups. Least squares mean (+/- SE) baseline NPI 12-item total scores were 19.55 +/- 1.48 and 19.30 +/- 1.45, respectively. At baseline, the most common symptoms were apathy/indifference (67%), aberrant motor behavior (53%), depression/dysphoria (52%), anxiety (49%), and agitation/aggression (45%). NPI individual item change from baseline scores at Week 24 using a last observation carried forward (LOCF) analysis showed benefits with donepezil treatment compared with placebo for all items, with significant treatment differences for depression/dysphoria, anxiety, and apathy/indifference (p < .05). Symptoms present at baseline that improved significantly for donepezil- compared with placebo-treated patients at Week 24 LOCF included anxiety, apathy/indifference, and irritability/lability (p < .05). When patients who were not receiving psychoactive medications at baseline were analyzed separately, significant improvements in NPI (continued) 12-item total score were observed with donepezil compared with placebo at most visits and at Week 24 LOCF (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Behavioral symptoms of the magnitude observed in this moderate to severe AD population improved with donepezil.     

Neuropsychiatric profiles in patients with Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia

Background/Aims:

The aim of the following study is to compare the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in patients of Alzheimer disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD).

Materials and Methods:

We used National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke-Alzheimer''s Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria for diagnosing AD and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke-Association International pour la Recherche et l’Enseignement en Neurosciences Criteria for diagnosing VaD. VaD cohort was further subcategorized into small vessel and large vessel disease. The severity of cognitive impairment and the BPSD were studied by means of the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR) and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory respectively.

Results:

We studied 50 AD and 50 VaD patients of whom 38 were small vessels and 12 were large vessels VaD. The severity of dementia was comparable in both groups. The agitation/aggression, depression/dysphoria, anxiety, apathy/indifference, irritability, aberrant motor behavior, appetite and eating behavior and night-time behaviors occurred significantly more frequently in patients with VaD than AD. We found a weak positive correlation between the CDR score and the number of neuropsychiatric symptoms per patient in both cohorts. Elation/euphoria, agitation/aggression was significantly more frequent in patients with large vessel in comparison to small vessel VaD.

Conclusions:

BPSD are common in both types of dementia and they are more severe in VaD than AD when the groups have similar levels of cognitive impairment.     

Impact of behavioral subsyndromes on cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease: data from the ICTUS study

Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) represent common manifestations among patients affected by Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Some reports have recently classified BPSD into specific clusters/subsyndromes exploring the internal structure of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). We evaluated whether specific behavioral subsyndromes are associated with worsening cognitive function. Mild to moderate AD patients were recruited from the cohort of the Impact of Cholinergic Treatment USe (ICTUS) study. Neuropsychiatric symptoms were classified in three subsyndromes, identified at baseline, grouping different combinations of NPI items: (1) “psychotic” (“delusions” and/or “hallucinations”); (2) “affective” (“agitation” and/or “depression” and/or “anxiety” and/or “irritability”); and (3) “behavioral” (“euphoria” and/or “apathy” and/or “disinhibition” and/or “aberrant motor behavior”). Mixed model analyses were performed to measure six-monthly changes in the ADAS-Cog score over a follow-up of 2 years, according to these subsyndromes. All analyses were stratified according to AD severity as defined by the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR). A total of 1,375 AD subjects were recruited. No NPI cluster was found to significantly (p < 0.05) affect the rate of cognitive decline across the 3 CDR classes. Our results suggest that the cognitive course of AD is not substantially influenced by the presence of specific neuropsychiatric phenotypes. Further studies are needed to extend the present findings and identify possible biological and clinical bases for behavioral subsyndromes.     

Premorbid personality and behavioral and psychological symptoms in probable Alzheimer disease.

OBJECTIVES: Previous research investigating the influence of premorbid personality on behavioral and psychological symptoms in dementia (BPSD) has produced mixed findings. Addressing some limitations of previous studies, the authors aimed to investigate whether some of the common individual symptoms of BPSD (depression, anxiety, irritability, and aggression) were associated with key aspects of previous personality (neuroticism and agreeableness); and also to perform an exploratory investigation into the broader influence of personality factors on behavioral and psychological syndromes. METHODS: Two hundred eight patients with a diagnosis of probable Alzheimer disease were assessed for the presence of BPSD over the disease course using the caregiver-rated Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). One or two knowledgeable informants rated patients' midlife personalities using a retrospective version of the NEO-FFI questionnaire. RESULTS: Premorbid neuroticism was correlated with anxiety and total NPI score, although not with depression. Premorbid agreeableness was negatively correlated with agitation and irritability. Principal components analysis of the 10 NPI behavioral domains identified three syndromes: "agitation/apathy," "psychosis," and "affect." In stepwise linear regression analyses, including personality domains from the Five-Factor Model and a range of potential confounders as independent variables; the only significant personality predictor of a behavioral syndrome was "agitation/apathy," predicted by lower premorbid agreeableness. CONCLUSION: Lower premorbid agreeableness is associated with agitation and irritability symptoms in Alzheimer disease and also predicts an "agitation/apathy" syndrome. The relationship between premorbid neuroticism and BPSD is less straightforward, and premorbid neuroticism does not appear to be associated with depression in Alzheimer disease or predict an "affect" syndrome.